Geoffrey's Legacy
by Guardian of Reality
Summary: Joining a guild may be easy, even the one with the Guild Master who boasts about having the strongest guild in the country, but getting to know the occupants can be surprisingly easy or tough. Follow Lorraine as she joins Phantom Lord and advances through the world of magic - part of that advance being drilling into a heart of stone cold iron. Rated M just to be safe
1. Chapter 1

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

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"History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it." - Winston S. Churchill

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Chapter 1.

(19th June X779, Oak Town, Kingdom of Fiore)

Lorraine stared up at the Phantom Lord Building; said guild resting in the middle of Oak Town, with her gaze largely being drawn to the wide central tower. For a guild which had a master who arrogantly boasted non-stop about how powerful the guild was, the exterior was rather underwhelming and bland - like a birthday cake with no special dressing. There was no 'wow' or 'that looks amazing' factor, but Lorraine already knew that she had no appreciation for buildings which resembled castles or fortresses.

The building was surrounded by stone walls topped with railings, which ended on the front in the building's own entrance, flanked some meters away by a pair of flags secured to the walls, and had two smaller, detached buildings at its sides, connected to the central one by suspended stone bridges. The secondary buildings possessed an elongated façade facing the main building and shorter sides, their pitched roofs being composed of tiles, and they sported simple, square windows, appearing as nothing more than holes in the walls, and more elaborated, larger and arched ones.

The main building, built of stone and linked to the two minor buildings by the suspended bridges, had another central and arched bridge adorned by battlements, connecting a pair of pillar-like structures placed in front of it, and seemed to take the form of a massive tower. The most distinctive feature, however, was the entrance: acting as both the door to the main building and the only way to get past the walls, consisting of a cylindrical structure topped by a series of small, pitched tiled roofs pointing in several directions, piled up one on the other: right above the cylindrical part were three of such roofs, one pointing frontally like the structure itself, and the other two jutting out respectively to the left and to the right.

Below such roofs, topping the entrance was a large, arched sign reading " _Phantom Lord_ " in light characters, possessing light edges and a pair of strange protrusions jutting upwards at its sides. The double wooden door below it, with the square pillars holding the sign up, sported a light, torn banner above it, almost split in two to house two distinct, dark Phantom Lord's symbols. Flanking the entrance, in front of a series of small windows similar to those found on the secondary buildings, were two lines of dark, massive spear-like ornaments, held in place, just below their heads, by brick supports.

 _Well, it's now or never, although I wonder if I should've gone to Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale or Fairy Tail."_ She thought, walking up to the double wooden doors and pushing them open. The interior was slightly better in appearance, being a large and tall room furnished like a club, possessing several occupied tables paired with benches. The floor was composed of wood, bearing a distinctive square pattern in which every square was composed by four planks, and the ceiling sported a complicate system of massive, horizontal and vertical wooden beams hanging from it on top of the hall, just below the passageway leading to the second floor, which was complete with a small mezzanine.

When the wooden doors swung shut with a loud groan, many mages stopped chatting with each other and turned to her, ready to size her up. Some, however, gave her perverse leers as they scanned her form, with their gazes lingering on her uncovered abdomen and sizeable chest, and Lorraine felt the urge to gouge their eyes out. She adjusted the straps of the rucksack on her back, guessing that the office for the Guild Master must be on the second floor as she flipped the bird to one of them, and walked over to a young man who turned his head to her as she approached.

"Well hello, Beautiful, can I help you with something, or did you come here just to ask me out?" He inquired lazily, his mouth stretching into a cocky smirk as he ran his hand through his two-tone hair.

Lorraine scoffed, returning the smirk. "Thanks for the compliment, but don't flatter yourself, although I will admit that you're not too bad looking yourself. I'm here to join Phantom Lord, so if you kindly lead me to your Guild Master, Jose Porla, that'd be helpful, Totomaru of the Conflagration."

"Of the Conflagration? An extensive fire which destroys a great deal of land or property... Well how about it, it looks like I'm pretty famous in Earthland." Sounding genuinely surprised, Totomaru rose from his reclining position on a chair made out of multi-coloured fire and began to lead Lorraine towards the dual-stairs which resided past the tables. One of the stairs pointed right, while the other pointed towards left, which seemed pointless because both led to the second floor.

After they'd ascended the left stairs, Lorraine got a good look at the second floor. It was smaller, more elegant room: at its sides were a pair of stone balustrades ending in ornately decorated pillars shaped like goblets; the stone ceiling, sustained by a multitude of square pillars protruding from the walls, bore a pattern consisting of many squares, and from it hanged a massive chandelier. In the central part of the room, was a carved stone table bearing the guild's symbol on it, on which sat a jar full of flowers and a set to play chess; to the left was a small, decorated sofa. The room was given access to by an arched, intricately decorated door, and in front of it, on the other edge of the room, was a throne, on which Jose Porla sat. Behind said throne was a dark banner with Phantom Lord's light symbol on it.

"So, you already know my name from who knows where. Mind giving me your name, or would that be me still flattering myself too much? You know, first-name basis?" Totomaru asked, wiggling his eyebrows as Lorraine turned her head, her green eyes expressing how unimpressed she was as she stared into his own black ones. She raised an eyebrow, "If that's your current pick-up line, then you really need to get another one. Anyways, thanks for showing me where your Guild Master is, I'll be able to handle myself from here. And call me Xanthine. Seems we're not on the _first-name basis yet_."

Lorraine tilted her head, gave him a mocking pout, then turned her head back to the front and advanced ahead, leaving Totomaru sputtering indignantly behind her. Jose was watching interestedly as she got closer, his eyes seemingly making her feel small, like prey cornered by its superior predator. Even though he wasn't standing, Jose still managed to emit an aura of superiority, power and command. He only stood once she was five paces away, standing over her with crossed arms and Lorraine was by no means short.

Jose was a tall, slim man with long, straight, dark red hair reaching down to his shoulders and a thin mustache. He has a long and sharp face, vaguely pointed ears, prominent eyelashes and dark-colored lips. He wore a flamboyant coat with a high collar that sported a jagged mantle and jagged lower edges, as well as intricately decorated borders and inners, featuring two prominent wings similar to a bat's, with a witch-like hat bearing Phantom Lord's symbol, complete with an extremely long, bent top hanging down on Jose's left; a plain shirt which sported his Wizard Saint's medallion around the neck, with two light ribbons falling down from it, loose striped culottes paired with long socks, and a pair of pointed shoes. His left hand's fingers were adorned by a pair of rings, one of which sported a spherical gem.

"I see you've already met Totomaru. What brings you to Phantom Lord, the most prestigious guild in the Kingdom of Fiore? Are you here to join, or were you sent by the Magic Council?" Jose spoke, his voice deep, yet silky and seductively smooth. Lorraine had to take a deep breath as chills ran down her spine. She'd have no problem with someone with a voice like Jose's reading her a bedtime story. She wondered if feeding his ego would get her on his good side, "I'm here to join Phantom Lord, Master Jose. It's amazing how powerful this guild has become from when it was founded by your ancestor, Geoffrey, back in X686."

"Impressive. Not many people know about Phantom Lord's past and to choose my guild demonstrates to me that you have good taste. Tell me, my dear, what do you have, in terms of your magical skills, to offer for Phantom Lord." Jose questioned, practically purring with restrained excitement. Before Lorraine could even start to answer the question; he yelped, clicked his feet together and adopted the weirdest expression he could muster, acting as if there was some sort of angry animal running around in his pants.

 _'Well that was random.'_ Lorraine sweatdropped, seriously beginning to wonder if she should leave Phantom Lord right now. Apparently, Jose was as dramatic and silly as he was arrogant. Hoping he wouldn't start carrying out further over-dramatic acting spectacles, she said, "I'm a user of Requip, specifically The Archer branch of the magic, Arrow Magic which is self-explanatory and-"

"Self-explanatory? Bah, you must think I know everything. I've never even heard of Arrow Magic, I didn't even know it existed. I guess you learn something new every day. What's that saying? Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you're going to get. A-And now, with you, I've j-just opened a-another part o-of that box." His interruption was rather abrupt, taking Lorraine aback.

 _'Did I break him? I think I broke him.'_ Lorraine nearly recoiled at sight of his trembling lower lip. She really hoped that Jose was just messing around with her. She'd only been talking to him for a few minutes and she already felt as like he was draining away her sanity with his silliness. He was like a six year old in the body of a fully grown man. However funny it may be, it was also incredibly disturbing, and if this was Jose's idea of screwing with her head, then it was definitely working.

"Oh, well, Arrow Magic is a Holder Magic involving-"

Jose suddenly snickered, cruel amusement in his eyes, "There's no need for you to explain. I know what Arrow Magic is, I was just messing around with you. Besides, you might just end up making someone tell the joke of 'I used to be a mage once, then I took an arrow to the knee'. Hehe, I do apologise, I believe you were going to mention a third form of magic before I so rudely interrupted." He commented, gesturing for her to continue speaking.

 _'Was that his idea of a joke? Either his brain was mashed up by a blender and the resulting smoothie was poured into his skull, or somebody dropped him, one too many times, on his head as a child. How does he bounce between complete silliness to being gentlemanly so easily. Maybe he has a terminal illness and is making the most of the rest of his days.'_ Lorraine thought. When it became clear that Jose wasn't about to start overacting simply because he could, she continued, "I also use Take Over, Mythic Soul. My current 'Soul' technique being that of a Phoenix."

From what she'd gathered about Jose so far, Lorraine expected some kind of overenthusiastic response from Phantom Lord's Guild Master, something that would blow her away and be along the lines of 'Take Over with a Phoenix? that's absolutely magnificent. Do you tell people to watch themselves or you'll peck them to death with your **_Fi_** _ ** _ery_ Beak of JUSTICE'**_, but his actual response was much more subdued, mature, and something one would expect from Jose's position of power.

"Mythic Soul, and a Phoenix to boot? How peculiar, I've only ever heard of Satan Soul, Animal Soul and Beast Soul. The latter two aren't anything special, but Satan Soul is a thing of beauty - allowing the user to harness the destructive power of a demon." For a moment, Jose looked absolutely murderous and psychopathic. However, the facial expression vanished as quickly as it appeared, prompting Lorraine to dismiss it as a mere trick of the light or a figment of her imagination.

"Okay, well, Mythic Soul allows the caster to absorb mythical creatures, those which used to be told in stories about the famous heroes of the past or stories about themselves, and utilise their abilities in battle. I can only harness the power and form of a Phoenix, an example being the regenerative capabilities, but I might come across more mythical creatures in the future and add them to my Mythic Soul. Such examples being a Sphinx, a Catoblepas, a Basilisk or a Kraken." Lorraine told him, noticing that Jose was repeatedly scanning her up and down.

 _'Regenerative capabilities? Thank the grave of my ancestor that she didn't go to Fairy Tail, because Makarov, curse and damn that eighty-three year old fool's heart, would've snatched her up in an instant and then boasted about it at our next Guild Master assembly._ _I have an interesting one here, but there's one thing that's bothering me.'_ Jose was sporting a half-scowl, ceasing his scanning when he noticed that she'd stopped talking, "My dear, how old are you and what is your name? Also, are you really as tall as you appear, or is something wrong with my eyesight?"

Lorraine felt a little insulted. It wasn't her fault that she was taller than the average woman, and what was wrong with being tall? She huffed, "I assure you, nothing is wrong with your eyesight, although the muscles holding it might be the strongest part of you, depending on how many times you've rolled your eyes at people claiming Phantom Lord isn't the strongest guild in Fiore. Either that, or you strike them down and say that they never saw that coming because they were blinded by the illusion of guild stronger than Phantom Lord." If Jose was going to joke about, then she'd start too - no matter how cringe they were.

"Anyways, my name is Lorraine Xanthine, I'm nineteen years old - I know that's late for someone starting their magical career, but who cares - and I'm 5'10ft tall. I guess I ended up with good genes from my mother and..." She trailed off, tightening one of her hands into a fist and Jose nodded, getting the hint that she despised her father, "So it seems. Do you ever wear jeans and walk up to people, telling them to 'look at my really nice genes'?"

 _'There he goes. I was wondering when he'd go ahead and make another joke.'_ Lorraine thought, exasperatedly running a hand through her strawberry blonde, crop cut hair, as Jose extracted a stamp-like device from his flamboyant clothing. For the former, it was about time. She didn't expect to still be talking to Jose, thinking she would've gotten her guild mark already and waltzed downstairs to make friends, although she did note, when passing through the first floor, that women seemed to be absent from the guild.

"Before I get my guild mark, are there any rules I should know about?" Lorraine inquired. A wide grin appeared on Jose's face, "Why of course there are rules, does this guild look like a dark guild to you? In all honesty, there aren't many rules. Respecting the Guild Master is an obvious one. Maintain Phantom Lord's status as a powerful guild, the most powerful in Fiore, although that isn't really a rule. A Phantom Lord mage killing another person isn't forbidden, but they will be excommunicated from this guild if the Magic Council comes knocking here after being able to deduce that they killed the individual. And obviously don't do anything that would get you labelled as a criminal or a dark mage. That's it really."

 _'Wow, there aren't many rules, but k_ _illing another person isn't forbidden? I can live with that, I'll be hunting the demons of my past sooner or later.'_ Lorraine thought, before focusing on Jose as he lightly shook the small device back and forth, seemingly pretending as if it were a hypnotic pendulum without a string.

Getting the hint of his unspoken question, she pointed at her abdomen and shifted her grey leggings, "I'd like my guild mark just bellow my bellybutton and stamped in white, please." The Guild Master raised an already raised eyebrow, but said nothing as he pressed the device onto the flesh below her bellybutton, and then pulled away after a few seconds, leaving a white Phantom Lord mark behind.

Lorraine then hitched her leggings back into their original position, leaving her guild mark half-covered, "Thank you for making me an official member of Phantom Lord, Master Jose, I guess I'll sort myself out now."

She turned around, hearing him chuckle as she did so, and ran towards the stairs. Instead of running down either side, she vaulted over the wooden barrier which acted like a partial balcony and nearly landed on top of an unsuspecting Totomaru.

The man tensed and was about to unsheath the katana at his side, only lowering his hand and relaxing when realised that it was only her. He gave her comically annoyed look, leading her over to an unoccupied table, "Xanthine, do you have a habit of trying to jump on people? I'm not a trampoline or a crash mat."

"Oh really, I must've missed the hint because your face looks like one. Lighten up a little, I'm now a mage of Phantom Lord." Lorraine commented, gesturing at her half-covered guild mark as she sat down, but Totomaru remained standing, his one of his eyebrows twitching at the jab. He gave her a haughty look, "Congratulations, I guess. Since you probably don't have many jewels, seeing as how you've just joined the guild, can I get you anything to eat or drink? Coffee and a sandwich or donut?"

"Aren't you a charmer, trying to get on a first-name basis with me." Lorraine commented, suppressing a smile when she saw a muscle in Totomaru's jaw flex, indicating that he was starting to get irritated. Resting her right arm on the table and supporting her tilted head with her head, she continued, "No, seriously though, thanks for the offer. I'll have a hot chocolate, and a ham and cheese sandwich, please, _if that isn't too much for you to handle."_

Totomaru's nostrils flared as she made a 'go on servant' gesture, but he went to get what she asked for, one side of his mouth twitching upwards as he walked away, towards the bar counter. Now that she was alone, Lorraine took a moment to look around the guild's interior, spotting at least eighty mages, all male, and three who stood out amongst them.

Sat on at the table next to hers were two men. The one sat at the left side of the table was a slim man of average height with a tiny, pointy, mustache and green hair pointing upwards. His right eye was hidden by a monocle, attached to a slim chain; under it, the eye itself seems small and round, in contrast to his other, larger eye. He wore formal attire consisting of a brown suit with a ragged collar bearing six prominent protrusions jutting outwards - three on each side - over a white shirt paired with a red tie and simple shoes. He also donned what appears to be a short cape attached to both of his elbows, linking them.

She couldn't help but notice that the man kept adopted weird poses, changing them every twenty seconds, and mumbling in a language she didn't recognise. He said something to his friend who immediately burst into tears, despite the cloth wrapped around his head - obscuring his eyes - and yelled, "SAD! THAT'S... So... So... Sorrowful. Why so sorrowful?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. Much to her dismay, the guild apparently had three drama queens - one of which couldn't control his tearducts, while the other two seemingly had ADHD or something along those lines.

Mr. 'SAD' Drama Queen was an extremely tall and massive man with tanned skin. He appeared to have no visible hair, and possessed a rectangular, elongated face with prominent cheekbones, which has his rounded chin jut downwards, something that somehow negates the angular look his face would have otherwise. A thin, vertical dark line is present on his chin, crossing its whole length up to his lower lip, and his nose is flat. His eyes were hidden by the plain, white blindfold, and his hand were unnaturally large - almost as large as his own head.

His attire consisted of a large, loose green coat sporting white edges, closed around his neck, sporting a wide and high collar, but left open on the front below it, revealing a red, similarly loose and ruffled pale red shirt, with its high collar, split in three horizontal straps circling his neck, being held closed by an equal amount of buttons, one for each strap. Appearing from below such shirt is a similar robe, yellow in color, almost reaching down to his feet, revealing an extremely loose pair of pants with prominent hems and a pair of simple, dark shoes.

His attire sports a pair of distinctive elements: circling his neck is a large, orange-colored necklace composed of several crosses linked together by small beads, which on the front, right below his neck, bears a small skull, with its eyes obscured by a blindfold not unlike that covering the mages' eyes; passing over his shoulders and hanging on the front is instead a wide stole, purple and white in color, and covered in intricate motifs. A top hat, matching his coat in color, sat on his head.

"Here you go, Xanthine." Totomaru returned just as was about to turn her gaze to the third male, who sat on his own, munching on a piece of iron which had been molded to resembled a thick slice of steak. The former handed her the steaming cup of hot chocolate, and the ham and cheese sandwich - the latter item sitting on a ceramic plate. Lorraine held onto the cup by the handle and set the plate onto the table - feeling satisfied that she was able to con Totomaru into buying her a meal. She had more than enough jewels to buy a simple meal without needing to worry about attaining more.

"Thanks. By the way, Totomaru, are you in a team, or do you go on jobs by yourself?" Lorraine asked as he sat opposite her. The black and white haired male nodded, turning his head in the direction of the two men sitting on the table next to them, and said, "I usually solo whichever jobs I choose, but I'll sometimes go with those two. We're called the Element Three, and are currently waiting for another mage to join the guild, hopefully possessing Lightning or Water Magic, so we can form the Element Four. We were created on Jose's orders. I'm sure he'll fill you in eventually."

"The big, tearful guy is Aria, fellow S-Class Mage, also known as Aria of the Heavens, and user of Airspace Magic. The lanky guy who can't stop posing is Sol, another S-Class Mage, also known as Sol of the Earth, speaker of the 'Language of Love', and user of Earth and Sand Magic. If Sol says to you, _Salut, Mademoiselle_ , don't think that he's insulting you. He's only saying 'Greetings, Miss', and he'll also ask you to address him as _Monsieur Sol._ " Totomaru informed her as she sipped at her hot chocolate.

"I'll keep that in mind, Salt and Pepper." Lorraine took a bite out of her sandwich, tapping her nails against the cup, as Totomaru gulped down half of his tropical juice and rolled his eyes at the nickname, "Really, Salt and Pepper? I'm not even going to ask if that's something I'm going to have to get used to, I already know the answer to that question. Besides, given the colour of my hair, it's actually not too bad. Anyways, what's with the crop cut hair? I mean, I don't have a problem with it, I'm just curious."

The nineteen year old wrapped a few strands of her hair around her index finger, after downing her hot chocolate, "I'm comfortable with it, and it doesn't provide an opportunity when in a fight. With long hair, someone could easily grab it and I'd be in an unfortunate and disadvantaged position if I didn't have something to cut off my hair in that moment. Also, it feels like longer hair takes up more time to wash out and maintain." She explained, and Totomaru nodded, finding her points valid.

"Makes sense, one should never give their opponent an advantage or opportunity in a fight, no matter how small it is. Anyways, tell me about yourself, Xanthine. What were you up to, before you came to Phantom Lord?" Totomaru questioned, and Lorraine scowled, twisting her face into a grimace, "Despite the best efforts of my mother, Cynthia Xanthine, who gave birth to me in X760, my life was a complete sack of shit, up until I fled to Habanera Town in January X773 - after that jackass of a father killed my mother. I wasn't well educated, due to his...own issues, so I had to go to school and be educated on multiple areas. I was able to persuade someone to give me a job when I was thirteen - allowing me to accumulate jewels and live in my own property from fourteen, all the while learning my various forms of magic."

"I made many friends while living and learning in Habanera Town; some adults, and others being girls my own age. With the forms of magic that I had learned, I also took jobs which would normally be reserved for mages belonging to guilds, and then became a professional hunter in mid-X777 - hunting animals and even dangerous monsters just for the thrill. I left to join a guild, an obvious point since I'm currently standing inside Phantom Lord, a few weeks ago. My other choices had been Mermaid Heel, Fairy Tail, and Lamia Scale." Lorraine told him, earning a snort from Totomaru.

At her inquisitive look, he elaborated, "Hey, there's nothing wrong with Lamia Scale, or Fairy Tail - except for the fact that Jose holds a massive grudge towards the guy running the latter, Makarov Dreyar, who is the Third Master of Fairy Tail. On the other hand, Mermaid Heel is literally an all-female guild full of nobodies. Nobody, not even the Magic Council, knows whether they have a good enough candidate for Guild Master, they don't have any S-Class Mages, and they don't even have a Guild Ace. In fact, its in such a poor state that it's a wonder how the guild hasn't been dissolved yet. Read newspapers and the Sorcerer Magazine, you'll see what I mean." He explained and Lorraine looked relieved that she'd decided not to join Mermaid Heel.

"Wow, thank goodness I didn't join them. I'd hate to join a guild, and then have it suddenly collapse because of multiple issues. They really need to up their game." Lorraine took a bite out of her sandwich, noticing how more mages in the guild were giving her curious looks - also receiving a smirk from the one she'd flipped the bird at. What was their problem, had they never seen a woman before? Ignoring them, she glanced at the lone male who was still munching on his biscuit-shaped piece of iron. Totomaru followed her gaze, obscuring a smile, "Oh, I wouldn't try talking to him. He's only fourteen, six years younger than I am, but it's like talking to a wall reinforced with steel."

 _'Challenge accepted.'_ Quickly finishing her sandwich and placing the cup on the plate, Lorraine winked at Totomaru, and then walked over to the loner - his thing apparently being the colour black - who didn't even look up to acknowledge her. Standing over him, Lorraine watched with morbid fascination as he took another bite out of his iron biscuit, chewed it for a few seconds and then swallowed it as casually as one would do with ordinary, _edible_ food.

"Sooooooo, is that normal for you, eating iron? I mean, it doesn't look particularly tasty or kind to the stomach." She commented, but he simply ignored her as he scratched his long, spiky black hair. However, Lorraine was determined to prove Totomaru wrong and get a response out of the fourteen year old, "Do you always ignore people trying to make conversation with you? Do you even have any friends, although I think that's a stupid question, nobody's sitting with you, so I believe that answers the question for me."

He still chose to ignore her. Lorraine leaned past his left side to get a good look at his face, quickly retreating when one of his eyes flickered aside to meet hers. From what she could gather from her short observation, the teen had lightly pale skin, no eyebrows, more than a dozen piercings - some in a line where his eyebrows should be - and menacingly red eyes. "What's with the piercings, lack of eyebrows, overgrown black hair, and ripped, black, sleeveless shirt. Living life as a gothic punk, or punk with a side order of goth?"

She noticed that he was munching on his iron biscuit with more intensity than he had been before, loudly grinding the iron in his mouth with his pre-molars and molars - assuming consuming iron hadn't already destroyed those teeth and he didn't just have replacement metallic ones. Lorraine turned to Totomaru, mouthed, ' _looks like I'm making progress'_ , and then turned back to the raven haired teen. "Are you going to give me the silent treatment all day, because I can work with that, I'll just keep talking until I get a reaction. And since you won't give me your name, I'm going to call you, Hedgehog."

'Hedgehog' clenched his fist, but did nothing more, and then Lorraine noticed how quiet the guild had become. Everyone, or nearly everyone, was watching her one-sided interaction with 'Hedgehog' who Lorraine figured must be quite a notorious figure in Phantom Lord, given how a lot of people were watching them. She daringly poked at his hair a few times, even mustering the arrogance to actually poke at his scalp, "You know what? Instead of 'Hedgehog', I think I'll call you 'Punk the Porcupine with a side order of Goth'."

That was the final straw. Growling, the teen slammed one fist into the table to express his anger, splintering it, and swung his other arm, intending to introduce his knuckles into the face of the person annoying him. Lorraine quickly moved her head away, but didn't expect the teen to continue moving his arm until his fist was in line with her face, nor did she expect his arm to transform into a iron rod which suddenly extended towards her.

If she'd been any slower in lunging towards the table to avoid the attack, Lorraine had no doubt that her jaw would've been broken, and most of her teeth would've been knocked out. She watched as the rod extended until it harshly bashed an unsuspecting mage in the face, the flat end of the rod being wide enough to knock out several of his teeth, bust open his upper lip, break his nose, and presumably severely fracture part of his cheekbone.

"For fucks sake, leave me alone, or I'll make sure to hit you next time!" The teenager snarled, ignoring his victim's cries of pain as the rod shifted back and transformed back into his forearm. Lorraine sat down next to him, dismissing his threat as an empty one, and opposed his fierce glare with her own unwavering stare, "Jeez, there's no need to be such a violent prick about it. If you didn't want me bothering you, then you should've told me the first time. Now then, since I have your attention, whats your name? Mine's Lorraine Xanthine."

At Totomaru's comically outraged yell of 'Oh, so _he_ can be on a first-name basis with you? I see how it is, _Lorraine Xanthine_ ', the teenager crossed his arms and scoffed, "The fuck are you waiting for, you expect me to give you my name?"

"Well yeah, it's common courtesy to give your name in return." Lorraine retorted, starting to feel a little unnerved by the teen's unshakeable red eyes. The fourteen year old rolled his eyes disinterestedly, crossing his toned arms over his torso, "Yeah, whatever. I'm Gajeel Redfox. Happy, are you gonna get lost now?"

"No, I want to get to know you. Maybe even become friends with you. Tell me something about your past." Lorraine told him, and Gajeel grunted, "Fuck off, I ain't telling you shit about me, and I don't need friends. Friends are for pansies."

"Fine, if you don't like the word 'friend', then I'll be your associate. Now, take me on a job. We can talk about ourselves for however long it lasts, although I doubt you'll say much about yourself. After that, I promise I'll leave you alone." She offered.

Gajeel appeared thoughtful, but the expression quickly dropped off his face and he said, "Whatever, sure. But go back on your promise and I swear, I'll knock your teeth out."

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 **A/N: If you have any questions or queries, please PM me. Reviews are a joy to behold, even _constructive_ criticism.**


	2. Chapter 2

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

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"Study the past, if you would define the future." - Confucius

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Chapter 2.

As Lorraine suspected, Gajeel wanted to do very little talking, because he'd taken a really easy job from the Job Description Board, which required them to take out some thugs who happened to be harassing Oak Town, stealing and committing arson on houses in the southern part of the town. He'd grumbled about the small pay, 10000 jewels, and only quit when the nineteen year old assured him that he'd be able to have 70% of the reward.

He seemed more than content to hold onto the piece of paper which described their job, and feast on a random scrap of iron he'd found. Gajeel had wanted to go straight to the thugs and beat them up, but Lorraine managed to convince him that it'd be smarter to inform the mayor of Oak Town first, go beat up the thugs and drag them back so they could be punished, then go collect their reward.

"So, Gajeel, do you have parents?" Lorraine inquired, glancing over at Gajeel who grunted, tossing his half eaten piece of iron aside.

"Nah, I'm an orphan. Never knew my parents, probably died soon after I was born, but starting from five years old, I was raised and taught magic by a dragon. Sounds fucking stupid, I know, but he brought me up in an abandoned iron ore mine. Then, Metalicana, my foster dragon and father figure, suddenly vanished on my twelfth birthday. I've never gone to look for the bastard, and I don't really care if he shows up again." He replied, sounding 100% convinced that he wouldn't care.

"Brought up and taught magic by a dragon... in an abandoned iron ore mine? To be honest, given the kind of world we live in, that actually doesn't sound too far-fetched. Also, has anyone ever told you that Metalicana sounds like some sort of heavy metal band?" Lorraine asked, mimicking the action of bellowing into a microphone.

The question earned a snort from Gajeel, "A few times. What about your background, living the life as a happy-go-lucky princess, and then, sudden tragedy? Gihihihihi."

Lorraine wondered if her ears were clogged up with wax, because Gajeel's laugh was the strangest thing she ever heard... and the most ear destroying. It sounded like he was scraping pieces of twisted metal against each other and purposefully dragging them, alongside some of his fingernails, against a rough chalkboard.

"Hah, funny, my life was the furthest it could possibly be from being the life of a 'happy-go-lucky' princess. Despite the efforts of my mother, Cynthia, who gave birth to me in X760, my life was a complete sack of shit, up until I fled to Habanera Town in January X773 - after that jackass of a father killed my mother. I wasn't well educated, due to his...own issues, so I had to go to school and be educated on multiple areas. I was able to persuade someone to give me a job when I was thirteen - allowing me to accumulate jewels and live in my own property from fourteen, all the while learning my various forms of magic." She said.

"I made many friends while living and learning in Habanera Town; some adults, and others being girls my own age. With the forms of magic that I had learned, I also took jobs which would normally be reserved for mages belonging to guilds, and then became a professional hunter in mid-X777 - hunting animals and even dangerous monsters just for the thrill. I left to join a guild about two weeks ago, an obvious point since I was in Phantom Lord and annoying you." She finished, prompting Gajeel to stop in his tracks and state, "Your lying."

Lorraine halted with him, a blood vessel nearly bursting in her forehead as she rounded on the 5'5ft raven haired teen who remained unflinching, despite her obvious anger. "Excuse me!? You don't even know me, what part of that is a lie?"

He simply tapped his ears, "Some part of that story was a pile of bullshit. I don't know which part, but I could tell that you weren't telling the truth. The magic that I was taught by Metalicana, Iron Dragon Slayer Magic, came with the added bonus of enhanced senses, especially hearing and sight. Your heart rate increased, and your voice rose in pitch by a miniscule amount. I'm essentially a walking lie detector."

"What's Iron Dragon Slayer Magic, and you're right, I wasn't telling the whole truth, but I'd rather not talk about it, especially not with you, someone who doesn't seem to be the sort who deals with sensitive stuff." Lorraine told him, fixing her eyes on him.

Gajeel snorted as they continued walking, nearing the residence of Oak Town's Mayor, "You got that right. If you wanna go do the 'my life is a sack of shit, and I need a strong shoulder to cry on' routine, don't pick me to provide that shoulder for you. I ain't got time for that pansy ass nonsense, and as for Iron Dragon Slayer Magic, I'll show you later."

 _'Tch, it better be worth the wait, or I'm putting an arrow so far up your ass, you won't be able to pull it out.'_ Lorraine thought as they stopped outside a fancy-looking building, clearly owned by someone who could afford to throw away jewels on expensive luxury. The front door opened, courtesy of a smartly dressed, middle aged, greying butler, before Lorraine could even knock on the door. Her and Gajeel took a few steps back as an elegantly dressed woman, clearly the mayor and aged somewhere in her late-thirties, gracefully descended down a flight of stairs in the building, smiling warmly as she stepped outside to greet them.

Before she could get a word out, Gajeel shoved the job description close to her face, prompting the woman to quickly step back if she didn't want to end up with a nasty bruise on her forehead. She also didn't sound as arrogant as the duo expected her to, "Ah, thank you for coming, subordinates of Jose Porla. As you already know, we're having trouble with criminals who insist on stealing from us and burning down homes. They always come from the forests over there. It would be wonderful if you could take care of them, um..." She trailed off, pointing at a section of the vast forest behind them.

"Mages of Phantom Lord. Lorraine Xanthine, and this is Gajeel Redfox, he's a second cousin of mine. Clearly younger and rather unruly, I mean look at those facial piercings and shaven eyebrows... I apologise ma'am, I'm going off track, I promise we won't let you down, ma'am." The latter flinched as her accomplice jabbed a finger into her ribs.

As they turned around to go find and beat up some thugs, Gajeel hissed, "I can speak for myself, thank you very much. Last time I checked, I ain't mute, and I definitely ain't your cousin. Also, _we won't let you down, ma'am_. Heh, look at you, girl scout."

"I'd much rather be a girl scout, than have the attitude of a dangerously undisciplined thug who thinks it's okay to practically disrespect and nearly assault clients. I mean, Gajeel, you nearly punched her in the forehead. Do you want her to cut our reward by a significant amount, like thirty percent, or give us a bad review?" She shot back.

This elicited an irritated growl from Gajeel. He turned his head away from her, sneering, "And this is why I go on jobs alone. So I don't have to put up with other people's bullshit. I pity people who end up getting into romantic relationships. Having to put up with the nagging of the other person, 24/7."

"Well would you look at that, I never knew 'romantic relationships' were in your vocabulary, and I wouldn't speak too soon if I were you. You might get unlucky, end up in a relationship with a girl who can put you in your place - yourself being the one doing the nagging." Lorraine retorted.

Gajeel crinkled his nose in disdain, appearing to be disgusted by the thought, "In your dreams. I never nag, and I definitely ain't getting into a something stupid like a romantic relationship. As for you, I couldn't see anyone wanting to do anything with a irritating, loudmouth blonde like you, gihihihihi."

The nineteen year old scoffed, "Someone not wanting anything to do with me? Dream on, I could probably get more girls than you could ever hope to have? However, maybe you're just not into girls, you know, perhaps you secretly root for the other side, but don't want to admit it?" The blonde suggested, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

As they walked into the forest, a look of abject horror found its way onto Gajeel's face, his brain quickly catching up and working out what she meant, "What the fuck, no way, don't even _suggest_ that I'm gay." Gajeel snapped, nearly falling into a ditch.

Lorraine grabbed the back of his shirt's neckline, pulling him back before he could fall into the muddy water. "You know, that's a really vehement denial. Are you sure that you don't want to tell me anything, I mean I won't judge you for being gay, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, and I think you and Totomaru would make a great couple... even though he's six years older than you, and acknowledging the fact that you're a minor."

As they leapt over the ditch, easily landing on the other side, Lorraine noticed that Gajeel had converted the flesh on his right fist into iron. She playfully nudged him, earning a rough shove in retaliation which nearly knocked her off balance and into the wide ditch, "Hey, lighten up, I was just teasing you. Perhaps you just need help getting that eight foot 'antihumour' pole out of your ass."

Gajeel rounded on her, threateningly raising his fist as he bared his teeth, "That's it, you keep your mouth shut or I'll-"

Hey you two, stop arguing with each other and stay where you are." A weasly voice cut in, infuriating Gajeel even more as they turned towards the source of the interruption.

It was a skinny young man with brown hair, tatty clothes, nervous eyes which darted back and forth between Gajeel and Lorraine, and a wicked looking knife possessing a serrated edge. Nervously, he said, "Hey, lady, your backpack. I want it. Take it off and give it to me, and while you're at it, give me those mesh warmers on your elbows, your trainers, the sliver earring, and the bracelet. Just do as I say and nobody has to get hurt."

Unshaken by the weak verbal and physical threat, Gajeel yawned and settled into a frog-like crouch, giving Lorraine the go-ahead. She flexed one of her hands, "You know, we're both mages, and I use Requip - The Archer. Trust me on this, this is going to end terribly for you, and I _really_ don't want to give up my backpack. I think I'd rather keep it for another... I don't know, three, maybe four more years. If you were smart, at this point you would've already ran away from us and gone to find somebody else, an easier target, to rob. Now, Requip: Flatbow." The blonde summoned the aforementioned weapon, and then summoned an arrow.

"Mages? I don't care about that, pretentious pricks that you are, just hurry up and give me the backpack." The man flinched, almost dropping his knife when the flatbow appeared.

Lorraine partially nocked the arrow, held the flatbow towards the ground, and asked, "If you're so eager to have my backpack, then why don't you come and get it. Surely, for a criminal like yourself, you're tough and strong enough to handle a bit of pain."

Raising the flatbow and pulling back the bowstring, Lorraine dumped the arrow into his right knee before he could ask what she meant. The man staggered, falling backwards, and he would've screamed if it weren't for the nineteen year old who pressed her hand against his mouth, preventing him from making nothing more than prolonged muffled noises. Gajeel walked over, smirking as he sneered, "If you scream when she moves her hand, I'll shatter the bone in your shin, then break your wrist and one of your collarbones. One crippled leg is bad, but two? Life wouldn't be worth living."

Setting the flatbow on the forest floor next to her, Lorraine moved her hand away and immediately clenched it, ready to punch the young man in the face if he tried to scream. Through teary eyes, he said, "Please don't hurt me. The guys that I were with are four-hundred metres away, huddled around a camp fire as they share horror stories and show off the stuff that they've stolen. I've never stolen anything, or burned down any houses. I'm just a lookout, but I thought I'd try my luck with you two."

"Aw, that wasn't fun, and that was easier than I expected it to be. Hey, you're the worst criminal I've ever met. I thought criminals were meant to be hardcore fuckheads... well, most of them at least. Stop being a little bitch and grow a pair." Gajeel looked dissapointed, but then mashed his iron fist into the man's collarbone, breaking it with an audible ' _SNAP'_. Lorraine had to cover his mouth with her hand to suppress another scream, rolling her eyes as Gajeel transformed his fist back into ordinary flesh - gleefully snickering as he did so.

"Gajeel, was that really necessary?" Lorraine snapped, watching the young man's chest as his breathing slowly transitioned from hyperventilating to deep, rapid breaths. The fourteen year old was about to answer the question when his accomplice suddenly punched the wounded man in his temple, knocking him unconscious. As his limp body began to slump, Lorraine pushed him over - leaving him out cold on his right side.

" _Lorraine_ , was that really necessary?" Gajeel deadpanned.

Lorraine laughed as they stood up and dragged him over to a nearby tree, "Touché. Anyways, he'll live, but he probably won't be walking again. As for his collarbone, I guess we'll find out in the foreseeable future. Come on, we've got some criminals to beat up and a lot of valuables, possibly unbelievably expensive or highly rare ones, to rescue, recover, and return."

"Yeah, yeah, quit badgering me, I already know the details of the job, I haven't forgot. I ain't got a short term memory. Why didn't you leave your backpack in the guild? It's not like we're going to be camping out. Also, I can definitely hear the crackling of their camp sites fire." Gajeel told her as they started walking.

Lorraine shrugged, "Well, I don't exactly know where I'm going to be sleeping - Master Jose didn't tell or show me whether Phantom Lord has dorms, so I'm carrying it around until I find out. And everyone in the guild looks really shady, I wouldn't trust them to not look through and take something from my backpack."

"Fair point. By the way, that was some good shooting. I've never seen someone raise a bow and fire off an arrow so quickly - although it's not like I watch archery competitions. At least I know that you'll be able to handle yourself." Gajeel commented.

Lorraine glanced over at him, "Wow, am I going deaf, or did you just give me a compliment? I'm saving that, I don't think I'll ever get another one."

"Yeah, whatever... I was feeling generous." Gajeel grumbled the last part to himself. Suddenly, something caught his eye, just as his leg stepped over and into it. Changing the flesh on his leg into iron, the teen smirked as a bear trap snapped shut, the jaws shattering as they fiercely smashed into his lower leg. "Gihihihihi, a bear trap? These guys might be trash, but they definitely have good taste. Gihihihihi, if you were in my position, you'd be screaming like a bitch."

Lorraine stared at the destroyed bear trap, "Oh please, you must be out of your mind if you think I could be taken out by a mere bear trap. Still, I'm surprised you even saw it. Normally you appear to be zoning off. I guess you have a higher attention span than I thought you did." She retorted, taking the remains of the trap and flinging it aside as Gajeel turned his leg back to normal, shaking his leg to make sure he hadn't hurt it.

"What an absolute joke, using something that only Rune Knights, petty civilians, and the worst mages would fall for. What did they think would be coming for them, stealing from the town that Phantom Lord is situated in? Now I'm even more eager to beat them up and put them in their place." Gajeel stated, sporting a bloodthirsty grin as he stormed ahead.

Lorraine had to pick up the pace to catch up to him, running with the flatbow in her right hand, "Yeah, leave me behind so you can hog all the fun why don't you."

They came across the camp a few seconds later, Lorraine nearly running into Gajeel when he'd suddenly stopped. Standing beside him, she saw that the camp was a semicircle of thirteen men, all of them sitting down and facing away from the duo - showing off their prizes to each other - with the oldest being in his early forties. One was repeatedly throwing a Communications Lacrima Crystal into the air as if it were a ball to play with, another had an expensive looking watch on his wrist, whilst another appeared to be hilariously clumsy as he swung around an ornamental katana, almost beheading one of his friends in the process.

"Your call, Gajeel. Show me what this dragon, Metalicana, taught you." The blonde requested, prompting Gajeel to step forwards, smirking as he kicked a fallen branch aside. The men were so preoccupied with themselves, they didn't even hear the nose made when he kicked the branch.

He took a deep breath and cupped his hands in front of his mouth, a sliver coloured magic circle appearing as he did so. Lorraine whistled, getting the attention of the entire group. The men dropped their stuff, before scrambling to get their weapons as the raven haired teen narrowed his eyes, "You dumbasses chose the wrong town to steal from. Now, be torn to pieces! IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!"

Lorraine widened her eyes as a powerful tornado, coloured dark grey due to the amount of iron scraps that was in it, raged forwards from Gajeel's mouth and engulfed the men, putting out their fire in the process. She watched, awed, as the attack carved up the ground and shredded trees, reducing them to miniscule stumps. Eventually, Gajeel stopped his attack, allowing Lorraine to see the complete aftermath of his Iron Dragon's Roar.

The ground looked as if someone had taken multiple giant rakes to it, scraping as hard and fast as they could without any form of organisation. The men were even more unfortunate. Most of them were lying on the ground, moaning in pain as their limbs been twisted into awkward and painful positions, while the iron shards had shredded their clothes, making them appear to have charged through barbed wire, and embedded themselves into exposed flesh.

Only one, who'd dived for cover, had managed to escape the onslaught. Disentangling himself from one of the moaning men, he grunted, hurriedly scrambling to his feet. As he began to run away, Lorraine nocked an arrow and incapacitated him by shooting the arrow into his left thigh. He cried out in pain, staggering. He tried to get up, but was knocked unconscious, dropping like a sack of potatoes as Gajeel threw a sizeable rock into his head.

"So that's the Iron Dragon's Roar, huh? Well, thank goodness I wasn't on the receiving end of that." Lorraine commented as they began to go around to each of the men, taking any items that were in their possession and forcing them to stand up despite their protests. She pulled the arrow out of her victim's leg, hooked her arms underneath his shoulders and dragged him over towards the other men, forcing two of them to hold his deadweight, ignoring their pained protests.

Gajeel retrieved a nearby sack which escaped obliteration by his attack, going around and filling it with the stolen items. He considered taking the Communications Lacrima Crystal for himself, but decided against it. He would have no use for the device, would probably just end up breaking it, and if Jose ever wanted to summon him for a private meeting, then he could always just send a Thought Projection to get him. The Dragon Slayer sniffed at one of the watches, huffing when he couldn't smell any iron in it.

"Now, as you can see, it's the end of the line for you guys. My partner and I are going to follow you back to Oak Town, and if any of you step out of line, or try to run away, you won't like what'll come to you." Lorraine warned, literally slapping a pained smirk off one of their faces. Hearing heavy footsteps approaching, she turned to see Gajeel walking over to them, a bulging sack held in his arms.

"I'll carry the stuff, so your flimsy arms won't complain about carrying it." He told her, a mocking smirk plastered to his face. Lorraine rolled her eyes, shoving the first man and 'encouraging' him to start moving.

Getting all the men over the ditch had initially been troublesome. None of them possessed the physical conditioning that most mages did, so they couldn't simply jump over to the other side, and they didn't want to wade through the muddy water. Gajeel refused to take a short trip over a nearby bridge, so Lorraine had him turn his arms into two iron poles - allowing the men to use his arm as a small walkway.

Nearly forgetting about the man she'd knocked unconscious and kneecapped, before being brutalized by Gajeel, Lorraine jumped across the ditch while holding him in a fireman's carry. Joining her and getting the men to start moving again, Gajeel looked vaguely impressed that she was carrying someone else, probably weighing quite a lot more than she did, on her shoulders. She gave him a pointed look that said, _'Yeah, bastard, I'm stronger than you think.'_

Gajeel's face gave away the fact that he wanted to say something, but whatever it was, he considered against it. Lorraine didn't mind, she'd get it out of him another time by driving him up the wall with madness. One of the men sighed, nearly tripping over a rock, "Guys, can you believe it? We got taken out by a blonde chick with a bow, and her emo friend who's what, fourteen, maybe fifteen? Pretty sad when you think about it, even if they did use magic."

Lorraine would've retorted to his comment, but Gajeel beat her to it. "I'm fourteen, and there ain't anything sad about it. You guys just suck in the fighting department, that's all. You're awareness could do with some work, I was surprised when you guys didn't hear me kick a branch. Seriously, how long did you lot think you could keep committing arson and theft, before you got taken down. ' _Yeah, let's steal from a town with a guild in it. A really good idea, right guys, we'll be able do this forever'_."

Some of the younger members of the gang, despite their moderate injuries, couldn't help but snicker at the expense of their leader. Lorraine cleared her throat, suppressing a laugh, causing the leader of the gang to leer at her, his eyes lecherously scanning her figure, lingering on her covered bust for longer than she was comfortable with, "Yeah, laugh all you want now, Blondie. Once I'm out of jail, I'll be coming for you first. After I'm done with her, I'll be going for you, Punk."

"Look at you, acting all big and threatening a girl, although given who I am, and who you are, it feels empty. Until you learn magic, keep your lousy mouth shut. But given how old you are, it's pretty much too late for that. Do you feel threatened, Gajeel?" Lorraine asked, looking over at the Iron Dragon Slayer who shook his head, smirking at the leader as they passed the trees and reentered Oak Town.

"Alright, hurry up and get your asses into gear, I want to be back in Phantom Lord as soon as possible." Gajeel hissed, forcing them to break out into a medium paced jog. As they rapidly advanced through the outskirts of Oak Town, spotting some of the houses which had been burned down, several passing residents of the town came over to help the duo lead the men over to the mayor's house.

Surprisingly, the mayor was stood outside her house with a bag in her right hand, and her butler stood next to her, the former standing right where Lorraine and Gajeel had left her. A bright smile appeared on her face as the criminals were made to stand in a line in front of her. Lorraine had a few arrow nocked, ready to shoot incase any of the men tried to make a move for the mayor. The butler, despite appearing to be frail, didn't bat an eyelid or complain despite the weight of the sack that Gajeel had just handed to him, and said, "Thank you, good sir. Ma'am, I'll be sure to distribute the stolen goods to their rightful owners."

He walked off, heading towards the town centre - soon vanishing amongst the masses of people. After watching him leave, the mayor assigned a few men to get the men imprisoned so they could await their rightful punishment. Finally, she addressed the two, "Thank you, both of you. I'll be sure to send a messenger to the Magic Council so they know that Oak Town is no longer being disturbed. Here's your reward, 10000 jewels, as stated in the job request. I'll be sure to send good word to Jose Porla."

"Thank you, ma'am. If you ever need someone to sort out a disturbance in Oak Town, whether domestic or foreign, you know where to find us." Lorraine took the bag of jewels as the mayor retreated back into her house, satisfaction flowing through the former's body. Shrugging, the duo began to walk back to Phantom Lord, splitting the jewels between them in the way the nineteen year old had promised - 7000 jewels to Gajeel, and 3000 to Lorraine.

On their way back to the guild, Lorraine glanced at Gajeel, almost doing a double take when she saw him munching on a piece of mangled iron. What baffled her was where he could've got it from. Surely there hadn't been a random piece of iron in the middle of the forest, had there? She frowned, confused, "What the heck, where did you get that piece of iron from? I could've sworn you weren't carrying that when we came out of the forest."

Gajeel grunted, "Remember the bear trap which nearly took off my leg? This twisted piece of iron is that trap. While you were taking your sweet time in figuring out a way to get those guys past the ditch, I briefly went back for the bear trap. It smelled and tasted of iron, so I crushed it and stuffed it down my shirt to have as a snack later."

Lorraine gave him a bewildered stare, "You, Gajeel Redfox, are the weirdest person I've ever met, and I'm probably going to be saying that many more times. Seriously, does your diet consist of iron and nothing but iron? I mean, I get that iron is good for the body, but do you ever consume other things. It's a wonder how you're not suffering from a vast number of deficiencies and diseases."

"Goddammit, quit badgering me. You ain't my mother, or any female relative for that matter. _'And this is Gajeel Redfox, he's a second cousin of mine.'_ For the record, I actually do eat other stuff, if you really must know. Have you seen a fourteen year old with arms like mine? No... I didn't think so. Protein, essential minerals and carbohydrates, with fats and other stuff sprinkled here and there. What about you, on a diet? Gihihihihi." Gajeel told her, laughing.

"On a diet? Do I look like I'm on a diet, you cheeky bastard? How about I punch you in the face and break you nose, give you a really large hint about whether I'm on a diet or not?" Lorraine threatened, de-summoning her flatbow.

"Alright, alright, no need to get so pissy about it. Besides, you punch me in the face, I'll punch you back and then blast you with an Iron Dragon's Roar. I wouldn't want to do it, mess up that pretty face of yours. Still sure about punching me?" Gajeel haughtily retorted, and Lorraine really wanted to knock the cocky smirk off his face.

"One day. One day, Redfox, you'll never see it coming. Nor will you hear it coming, I promise you that." Lorraine said, pushing open Phantom Lord's doors. She walked through and slammed the both of them in Gajeel's face, but he swiftly retaliated, kicking one of them open. The blonde had to jump back to avoid having her face imprinted into the side of the door, while the hinges groaned in protest.

Lorraine flipped him the bird and made a beeline straight for Totomaru. The twenty year old sat up in his chair, setting aside his cider, "Well, it looks like you made it. Although it'd be pretty embarrassing to know that you screwed up an easy job, take out a few thieves troubling Oak Town, and I see you're getting along with Gajeel, flipping the bird at him and all. Did you see his Lost Magic in action, the Iron Dragon Slayer Magic?"

She nodded, "Yeah, he took out a bunch of guys with his Iron Dragon's Roar. The aftermath of that thing was pretty savage. I mean, you'd think a giant had been dragging his fingernails through the forest. What have you been doing whilst I was out, drinking cider and getting tipsy? Get off your ass and go on a job, or show me where the female dorms are. There's no way in hell I'm sleeping on the floor like a homeless person."

Totomaru waved her off, "Mmmmm, I'll go on a job tomorrow, probably take you with me, and after I finish my cider, I'll show you where the female dorms are. By the way, did you get anything to do on the job, or did Gajeel hog up every opportunity?"

"Nah, I got to shoot a couple of guys. The first interrupted an argument between Gajeel and I, so I put an arrow through his knee. Afterwards, Gajeel broke one of his collarbones and I knocked him out. The second escaped the wrath of Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Roar, allowing me to put an arrow into his left thigh. It wasn't much, but I still managed to contribute." Lorraine commented, smiling as Totomaru began unconsciously massaging his kneecaps.

"Stop worrying, I won't put an arrow through your knees, unless you give me a good reason to." Lorraine reassured him, drinking a sizeable portion of Totomaru's cider just because she could.

The older man blanched, ignoring the fact that Lorraine had down half of his remaining cider, "Right, that makes me feel so much better. Just don't do anything to piss you off, and I don't get an arrow through my knees. It's a wonder how you haven't kneecapped Gajeel yet."

"It was tempting, especially with some of the comments he made, but Gajeel would probably have no qualms beating me to death if I did, whether or not he had knees to chase me with." Lorraine replied, shaking her head to rid her mind of the nightmarish image.

"Also-"

"Hey, Blondie!" Gajeel interrupted whatever Totomaru was going to say, prompting the two of them to look over at the Iron Dragon Slayer who held a glass of lemonade in his right hand. With their attention on him, Gajeel continued, looking uncharacteristically awkward as he turned his head away and grit his teeth, "You're alright, not a bad partner, I'll give you that."

Lorraine blinked, "Er, okay, thanks."

Totomaru spat out his drink, "What!? What have you done to him, he just gave you a compliment! I've gone on one-hundred jobs with that jerk, and not once has he complimented me. Just insults, insults, and more insults. And if my Gajeel-ese is up to date, then he basically said - _'You did good out there. You and I teaming up would be cool, but don't get your hopes up'._ "

The nineteen year old chuckled, "He said that? That's awesome, although I think we'd end up killing each other if we were on a team together."

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 **A/N: Here's the second chapter for you guys. Let me know what you think about it, and what I could improve, via reviews.**


	3. Chapter 3

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

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"Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Chapter 3.

With his enhanced hearing, Gajeel heard Totomaru translate what he'd said to Lorraine. Even though he'd just been on a job with the latter, however short it had been, he didn't know what to think of her. Most females caved in, becoming meek whenever he put his foot down, but that damned blonde infuriated him - putting her foot down in return, and matching him word for word. Not only that, but to add insult to injury, she was taller than him.

He knew that he was average height for his age, 5'5ft, but Lorraine practically towered over him at 5'10ft. Gajeel didn't like it, not one bit, but he had to look up at her. Due to his pride, he'd never admit it, but he was embarrassed by the thought of a woman being taller than him, and hoped once he finished having growth spurts and going through puberty, he'd be significantly taller than Lorraine - forcing her to look up to him.

Dragging his hand over his face as he tried to figure out his thoughts, the teen looked over at Lorraine and Totomaru, the latter laughing at what must've been a joke. Totomaru looked like his usual stupid self, the dual-coloured hair making him look even more ridiculous, but as for Lorraine, being away from her allowed the Iron Dragon Slayer to get a good look at her - something he hadn't been able to do earlier.

Lorraine had strawberry blonde, nearly appearing to be outright orange, hair which had been set into a neat crop cut, styled to partially sweep over her right eye, and her eyes are sea-green - he noted that when they were on their job, her eyes changed to blue, on some occasions, whenever the light hit them. She possessed defined, but not to the point of looking nearly emaciated, cheekbones, leading Gajeel to believe that she could've become a model if she'd chosen to.

 _'What's that thing called? Oh yeah, the Sorcerer Magazine.'_ Gajeel had never been interviewed or asked to model by any of their employees, and he definitely wasn't about to start now. Any who asked him to do either would be chased off with their 'tail' between their legs, a constant barrage of his Iron Dragon's Roar following after them to make sure they got the point. He huffed, focusing on Lorraine again.

From the skin that wasn't covered by clothing, he could see that she had a slim, swimmers build - her biceps and core being notably toned - light skin, sizeable breasts and a curvy, voluptuous body. Fighting down a blush - _heh, blushing was for pansies_ \- as he felt his gaze linger on her chest a little too long, he glanced at her white Phantom Lord mark which was half covered by her grey leggings. He felt it was a inconvenient place to have it, for she'd be pulling down her leggings just to show someone which guild she belonged to.

To him, her attire seemed fit for purpose as a mage, or someone who knew they'd be doing a lot of physical activity every day, consisting of a purple, high-collared, sleeveless, midriff cut blouse with tight, grey leggings. She had mesh warmers on both arms, worn over her elbows, grey socks, and trainers which were fastened with velcro straps. While not necessarily counting as attire, Lorraine also had a sliver earring pierced through her left ear and she wore a bracelet, one that looked particularly appetising to Gajeel, on her right wrist.

Banishing the idea of eating Lorraine's bracelet, Gajeel transformed his right hand's flesh into iron, clenching and unclenching it, and tracing the words 'Iron Dragon Slayer' into the palm of his iron hand. He'd never thought about it before, but he wondered if there were more Dragon Slayers like him. More mages with the power to slay dragons, but suffered from crippling motion sickness - another thing he'd never admit to someone else. He'd take that humiliating fact about himself to his grave.

 _'Well if there is, then I'll be sure to put them down and show them who the alpha is. I know for certain that there isn't enough room in the sky for two dragons.'_ Gajeel thought, turning his hand back into its normal state. Raising the mangled bear trap to his mouth, he took a bite out of it, his powerful jaws and teeth allowing him to make the bite seem effortless. Chewing, he once again looked over at Lorraine and Totomaru, watching as the former finished off the latter's drink, prompting the S-Class Mage to start complaining about he had to go get another cider to make up for all the cider she'd drank from his glass.

Gajeel held back a growl, swallowing the chunk of the bear trap, before getting up and angrily storming out of the guild, shoving aside a mage who tried to get in his way, asking him for a fight. He needed some fresh air. One, to clear his head, two, to calm himself over the fact that Lorraine was significantly taller than him, and three, because he needed some time alone to think about Lorraine, especially why she smelled a little odd. Now that he thought about it, Lorraine had the faint smell of a bird and burnt wood clinging to her, although it was largely masked by whatever soap or perfume she used. He'd ask her about it later.

The Iron Dragon Slayer began to head in the direction of the the southern outskirts of Oak Town. He _really_ needed to find someone to beat up, preferably without getting into trouble with the local authorities or the Magic Council, or get into a fight with a dangerous monster. An A-Class monster would do, Gajeel wasn't exactly eager to get himself killed; literally thrashed, beaten to death, and becoming deader then dead after becoming a meal, by trying to fight a S-Class monster - something he knew was definitely out of his league... for now.

* * *

(Inside the Phantom Lord Guild, Oak Town, Kingdom of Fiore)

Lorraine and Totomaru watched as Gajeel stormed out of the guild, forcefully shoving someone aside as he did so. "What's up with him, getting all moody? He was alright when I was out on the job with him. Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning, and it didn't register until now? Or maybe he's just pissed about how I'm not intimidated by his threats?" The former suggested as she set down the empty glass of cider, glancing at Totomaru who snorted and stood up, picking up the empty glass.

"You, _Xanthine_ , are coming with me to get a drink. One for myself to replace the one you dared to steal in front of me, and one for yourself to celebrate going on and completing your first job, despite how ridiculously easy it would've been. And you're buying both of them" Totomaru told her, grabbing one of Lorraine's hands and pulling her to her feet. They walked over to the bar, where a young male of short stature had his back to them, cleaning up used cups, glasses and dishes.

The male must've heard them approach, because he turned around as they took seats behind the counter. Blinking rapidly, Lorraine was surprised when she saw that the bartender was a woman, perhaps only a couple of years old than her. The bartender was the same height as Gajeel, wore a forest pattern shirt and plain jeans, had dark eyes which brightened upon seeing Lorraine, and really short, brown hair. "Oh my, Totomaru, you weren't joking when you said we had another female in the guild, I really thought you were joking around. Now we have three female in Phantom Lord. Myself, her, and Sue. My apologies, where are my manners, I'm Emilia Walters, the guild's medic and current bartender."

"Lorraine Xanthine, at least I now know I'm not the only female in this guild. Also, who is Sue?" Someone kicked Lorraine's right leg. She looked over at the offender. It was another female, probably a year younger than herself, with light brown skin, deep violet eyes, and short, dark green hair. She has a small, green oval-shaped jewel in the center of her forehead and small red earrings. She also wears a purple, jester-like hat adorned with the Phantom Lord mark. Her attire consists of a blue shirt with ripped sleeves, and green pants held up by a buckle belt. She also has reddish-pink bandages wrapped around her wrists, and seems to wear only black socks on her feet.

"I'm Sue, and don't you forget it, or you'll be looking in mirror and crying about the bruises and black eye I gave you." Sue told her, smirking as she summoned a mirror into her right hand for added emphasis. Clearly Sue was confident in her magical and physical abilities, and had a similar personality to Gajeel, talking down to her, the newcomer of Phantom Lord, as if she expected her to be intimidated by the threat. Knowing she had to earn her rep, since the guild seemed to be full of arrogant bullies, barring Totomaru, Jose, and Emilia, Lorraine was ready to put Sue in her place, but Totomaru stepped between them.

"Please, ladies, I'd rather not watch the both of you get into a catfight, despite how hilariously entertaining it would be. Hell, you can fight each other another time, just not inside the guild. Sue, I'm sure you remember that Master Jose wasn't happy about the damage last time that happened. Emilia, some red wine for myself, and a good cider for Lorraine, the newcomer. Both of them are on her, and if my memory serves right, that'll be 120 jewels." Totomaru stated, giving Lorraine pointed look.

The blonde glared at him, promising pain with her eyes, as she took her magical purse out of her backpack, and set the required jewels in Emilia's hand. Pocketing the jewels, the brunette went to get the requested drinks.

After making sure Sue couldn't rile up Lorraine any further, Totomaru said, "You know, I wanna fight you, obviously after we have our drinks and you've been shown where the female dorms are. I mean, you managed to impress someone like Gajeel, so clearly you're not weak and can handle yourself. Also, I don't want to boast too much, but at the end of the day, I am an S-Class Mage, so you'll probably lose against me. If you want me to, I can go easy on you for our fight? Try not to embarrass you too much."

Lorraine chose to retort by punching him in the arm, eliciting a yelp of pain from Totomaru who started complaining about how he was going to get a 'dead arm', "No way, if can handle Gajeel's threats and taunts, then I can definitely handle you and your dual-coloured hair, Salt and Pepper. Go easy on me, and I won't hesitate to put a couple of arrows where the sun doesn't shine. I'll leave you limping for a couple of weeks. I might be a newbie in Phantom Lord, but I've had my magic for six years, Mr. Black-and-White Hair."

As Totomaru paled, making a mental note to not go easy on Lorraine and fact that he had yet another nickname, Sue appeared to be impressed, allowing the mirror in her hand to shatter and disintegrate into magic particles as Emilia returned with Totomaru's and Lorraine's drinks, "Damn girl, you tell him how it is. You can definitely talk the talk, but whether you can walk the walk still remains to be seen. I'll be sure to watch you guys fight, after Emilia and I show you around the girls dorms."

 _'Tch, stuck up brat, I'll show you that I can most certainly walk the walk, and I'll see how much walking and talking you do, once I put a couple of arrows through your kneecaps. Hmmm, I seem to have an odd fixation of kneecapping people with arrows'_ Lorraine thought, taking her drink and downing half of it. Doing so seemed to be a bad idea, as the nineteen year old could already feel herself getting slightly tipsy. She'd never drunk before, so body had yet to get used to alcoholic drinks. She locked eyes with Sue, "Thanks, I'd appreciate that. At least I know that I won't be sleeping in here tonight, using my backpack as a rough pillow."

As Sue laughed, Totomaru snorted, sipping at his wine, "Come on, even if you hadn't brought up the topic of where you'd be sleeping tonight, I, or somebody else, would've stepped in to show you where the dorms were once evening came around. Phantom Lord may not be the nicest guild in Earthland, compared to the likes of Lamia Scale or Fairy Tail, but we still look out for each other, and letting someone sleep on the floor like a homeless person where there are dozens of empty rooms is a definite no-no."

Ignoring the feeling that someone was gently pressing their fingers against her temples, Lorraine clapped her hands together and said, "Thanks, that's nice to know. Now, I don't know anything about you guys, so tell me something about yourselves, like what kind of magic you use. Except for you, Totomaru, I already know a little bit about you, and I wanna see what you can do with your magic when we have our fight. No spoiling anything, and I want to see whether your title is just for show or if you actually live up to it - Totomaru of the Conflagration."

"Oh!? Well would you look at that. The newcomer, Lorraine Xanthine, is apparently starting to doubt my abilities and underestimate me, one of Phantom Lord's top S-Class Mages. I wouldn't do that if I were you, or I'll cut you down to size." Totomaru jokingly threatened, his hand resting on the katana sheathed by his side.

He yelped as Sue kicked him, "Hush now, perhaps you haven't noticed, but other people are waiting to speak. I use Mirror Magic, a form of Caster Magic that involves using mirrors in combat. I can summon and control the properties of mirrors, there's no limit to how many mirrors I can summon, and multiple can be joined together, to create a three-dimensional object. I normally use the mirrors to reflect magical attacks, usually physical ones, and imprison my enemies, but I can use them to attack."

Sue told her, allowing Emilia to go next, "Well, my magic is nothing special. I use Ink Magic, a form of Caster Magic that allows me to fight, although I'm not much of a fighter, by using ink. I don't do much with it, just use it to prevent others from seeing where I am. However I'm much better at using my Healing Magic, hence why Master Jose has given me the position of Phantom Lord's Medic. I just heal injuries obtained from fights; bruises, open wounds, and broken bones. I can't heal severed limbs, but I might be able to in the foreseeable future."

"I believe you'll be able to, I have faith in you, and if you ever leave Phantom Lord, you should pursue a career as a professional doctor. You'd be amazing as one." Lorraine told her, getting a bright, joyful smile from the bartender.

"So, L, what kind of magic do you use, or are you saving the reveal for your fight with Totomaru?" Sue inquired, earning a raised eyebrow at the unexpected nickname.

"Since I believe that I can kick Totomaru's ass, I'll spill. I use Requip, also known as Ex-quip, a form of Caster Magic and a type of Spatial Magic related to the summoning of various types of equipment. It allows me to store a variety of items, such as clothing and weaponry, in a pocket dimension so I can summon them at any time, even during battle. As you may know, there are various forms of Requip - The Knight, The Gunner and The Archer. I use the lattermost form to summon a custom outfit and various types of bows, three of which have been specially customised."

Totomaru frowned, looking at Sue, "Requip? Sounds a lot like that girl from Fairy Tail, Erza Scarlet."

"Who's that?" Lorraine asked, downing the rest of her cider as Sue crossed her arms, "Some stubborn redhead who joined Fairy Tail in X776. She uses Requip: The Knight and Sword Magic, and sometime during last year, attained the nickname; Titania. Apparently, there's been rumours going around that she'll be participating in Fairy Tail's X780 S-Class Promotional Trial, after their S-Class Promotional Trial, set to take place this year, had to be cancelled at the last moment. Something about the Guild Master's grandson, another S-Class Mage, causing a bit of trouble."

"Laxus Dreyar, self-proclaimed Thunder King of Fairy Tail, right? Looks like Fairy Tail needs to get their act together. Anyway, to support the arrows I can summon, I can also use Arrow Magic, a Holder Magic involving the use of arrows fired from any sort of bow. A Magic which, as the name itself suggests, is focused around the use of arrows, with those weapons acting as mediums for the user to perform particular attacks. I can deliver arrows which inject venom or hallucinatory agents into my targets, and even utilise napalm." Lorraine told them.

Emilia, along with Sue and Totomaru, appeared to be startled, "Napalm? Lorraine, the Magic Council banned Napalm Magic, and napalm-based weaponry back in X775, declaring their use to be illegal due to how inhumane the substance is when ignited, due to how it sticks to skin and causes severe burns, and they stated that it's use would be punishable by a life sentence with no chance of parole."

 _'It was banned four years ago? Aw, that sucks a complete load of bull.'_ Lorraine thought. Along with ordinary fire arrows, the blonde had envisioned herself going around and having fun setting monsters alight. Now, with Emilia's statement, that vision had suddenly shattered, crashed, burned, and been buried. She would be playing a game of chicken with the wrath of the Magic Council, and an inescapable life sentence, if she was seen going around and shooting napalm arrows at monsters. Besides, inhumane? It wasn't like she was going to go around hitting people with napalm arrows.

"Right, then I guess I'll have to be absolutely discrete about their use, if I want to avoid being behind bars for the rest of my life. No shooting them in the presence of Rune Knights, unless I put them six feet under because they saw. I won't like it, but there's no way I'm getting a life sentence." Lorraine told them, shrugging as Emilia took her empty glass and set it in the soapy sink behind her. Then the bartender seemingly shared a silent message with Totomaru, as they swapped positions, prompting Sue to get out of her seat.

At Lorraine's questioning look, Sue elaborated, patting the blonde's back, "You've finished your drink, so now Emilia and I are going to show you the girls dorms, and get you sorted with a room."

Emilia locked one of her arms into Lorraine's, and began walking with her and Sue towards the right side of his guild, where there happened to be a door - which largely blended in with the wall, as it was the same colour. Grabbing the handle, which had the universal symbol for the female gender on it, Sue turned it and opened the door to reveal a well lit corridor with multiple doors on each side, complete with a stairs at the end of the corridor, presumably leading to another floor.

The trio advanced into the corridor, Sue closing the door behind herself, before walking ahead of them, pointing at a door which had a bright green '1' engraved into the wood, and saying, "This one is mine, don't knock on my door after 10:30 pm, or before 8:45 am, or I'll introduce you to my definition of pain. Although you'll have no reason to, you won't be getting into my room, as I have my own key. Everyone does. One key for their room, including a spare incase they lose the first key, or Gajeel happens to eat it."

After jangling a bunch of keys and giving one to Lorraine, Sue pointed at a door which had a black '2' engraved into the wood, "That's Emilia's room. She usually has it unlocked, but I'd still knock if I were you, I'm sure you wouldn't like it if someone randomly barged into your room, something Gajeel is notorious for doing. I don't know why, but insists on having her room smell strongly of disinfectant. Maybe it's to go with her theme of being a medic, or dissuade Gajeel from entering unannounced, given his enhanced senses of smell."

Then they walked over to the third door, this one having a plain '3' engraved onto the wood. Lorraine stuck the key into the keyhole, twisted, and then pushed it open. She was immediately presented with a sofa at the far side of the room, to the right of the sofa was an expensive looking fireplace full of unburnt wood. In the middle of the room was a decently sized kitchen area, lined with several drawers, and a dining table, complete with four chairs, and then past the table was two rooms - with their doors already open.

The right room was the bedroom, soon to be _her_ bedroom. The walls had been painted pink, and Lorraine intended to have that changed as soon as possible as she disliked... no, absolutely _despised_ the colour pink. The bed was normal sized with a blue mattress, thick purple bedsheet, and two lengthy pillows. There was also a window allowing her to see outside, a large wardrobe, and a small side-table which had four books, a small pack of tissues, a couple packets of fruity chewing gum, and a night light on it.

The other room had a toilet, a couple of towels hanging over a white sink with hot and cold taps - the former had a red rubber band on its base, while the latter had a blue rubber band on its base. There was also a large cupboard with a few essential items, and a bathtub which came with an adjustable sliver showerhead. The bathtub had a plastic mat with suction cups on the bottom, presumably to stop her from falling over and breaking her neck whilst she was having a shower.

Walking in, Lorraine smiled, tossing her backpack onto the sofa, and then turned back to Emilia and Sue. Pocketing the key, she said, "Thanks guys, I'll be sure to change a few things, but it's otherwise really good. Before I make myself 'at home' and then go off to kick Totomaru's ass, is there anything else I should know about Phantom Lord? I feel like I'm standing in a business subdivision and that Master Jose hasn't told me everything I need to know."

Sue and Emilia shared a look, the latter biting her lower lip. Then they looked back at Lorraine, with Sue saying, "That's because this building is a subdivision. The actual Phantom Lord Headquarters is located on the mountainous outskirts of Oak Town. Aside from how Phantom Lord was founded by Master Jose's ancestor, I'm guessing you don't know a lot about it. That's alright, very few actually do, so we'll explain for you. This may take a while, so let's take a seat."

Lorraine let them enter the room. She sat on one of the chairs at the wooden table, resting and elbow on the table, while Emilia and Sue opted for sitting on the sofa. The former yelped in surprise, almost leaping to her feet, when she practically sunk into the sofa. Waiting, Sue only started talking when Emilia was able to get herself into a comfortable position.

"Okay, Phantom Lord was founded in X686 by Master Jose's ancestor, Geoffrey, who died in X703. Then in the span of 51 years, Phantom Lord went through three Guild Masters until Master Jose took charge in X754, aged twenty. While our guild already had considerable influence, Jose knew that it needed more if he wanted to become a Wizard Saint, so he began creating Phantom Lord subdivisions all over the Kingdom of Fiore. Essentially, Phantom Lord is a magical business which doubles as a guild. We have about twenty subdivisions, one of which is located on the outskirts of Magnolia Town, and that's where Fairy Tail resides." Sue said, the underlying message being that Jose was playing with fire by having a subdivision so close to Fairy Tail.

Emilia took over, "At first, Master Jose admired Fairy Tail, but steadily grew to hate it. After he became Wizard Saint at thirty-two, Master Makarov humiliated Jose, and our master nearly lost his title for retaliating. Not only that, but Fairy Tail is known for causing incredible amounts of collateral damage when he jobs, and their Guild Master encourages it. Master Jose is the opposite, he'd rather you don't destroy something just because you were being reckless."

"Now, Phantom Lord is an economic powerhouse in the Kingdom of Fiore. Heck, we have to be, because Fiore is teetering on the edge of being bankrupt. Why, because they have to spend so much money fixing damages caused by Fairy Tail, and don't even get started on the money spent on Fiore's Armed Forces. If anything, you could say Master Jose has the political co-position of Chancellor and Under-Treasurer of His Majesty's Exchequer."

"Wow, how much power does Master Jose have in Fiore?" Lorraine questioned, awed by the awesomeness of her Guild Master, and Sue smirked, "Master Jose is in charge of ensuring damages caused by Fairy Tail is repaired, those made homeless by irreparable damage are housed as quickly as possible, and proper compensation is paid. He implemented the Guildarts Shift in every town across Fiore, is preventing crippling inflation by _that_ much, is providing the money for Magnolia Town's annual Fantasia Parade, providing the money for Fairy Tail's S-Class Promotional Trials, given how the aforementioned guild wouldn't be able to afford it due to how they spend their money on booze and monthly repairing the guild, providing money for Fiore's Magical Academy, and is singlehandedly stopping Mermaid Heel from collapsing. He's funding them until they can sort out their problems, especially their Guild Master issue."

"Jeez, it's no wonder why he acts the way he is, he's just trying to not lose his mind from all the things he has to do, including carry out his duties as Guild Master and Wizard Saint. Although, if it really is stressing him out, then I think he should go and see a therapist. Lorraine commented.

Emilia giggled, "You have no idea, I've seen Master Jose's, ah, eccentric side, and it's quite the spectacle. Plus, I've tried advising him to see a therapist, and I remember when Gajeel ended up on the receiving end of it, he wasn't amused or impressed, and tried to knock Master Jose out. Also there's rumour that Master Jose will win a 'Fiorian of the Year' award, and even be designated as an OKF by the King of Fiore, Toma E. Fiore. OKF is short for Order of the Kingdom of Fiore."

The nineteen year old smirked, "Suddenly I'm really glad that I didn't join Fairy Tail. I don't want to be part of a guild that is causing Fiore's economic problems, especially when the Guild Master is encouraging them, probably ignorant of the damage his guild is doing. Hell, it must be kept on a low down, because there's no way public opinion of Fairy Tail can be so high, when they're the reason why so many people are losing their homes, and why the King and Magic Council have left part of the spending to Master Jose. If I remember correctly, 65% of the public approve of Phantom Lord, while 91% approve of Fairy Tail."

Sue scoffed, "That's absolutely ridiculous, but I imagine that will start to change sooner or later. There's no way Fairy Tail can do what they do, and we do what we do, and still have a higher approval rating than us in the next five years, give or take. I mean, it's not hard to see where part of Jose's hate for Fairy Tail comes from, given how he is literally helping the public and those aspiring to be mages, but Makarov Dreyar is still hogging the spotlight of approval."

"To be honest, if I was doing all that hard work, but then found out that my guild was ranked behind the most destructive guild in Fiore, I'd be pretty hateful too. I probably wouldn't be able to sleep either, my sheer rage towards Fairy Tail would result in me becoming an insomniac." Lorraine stated, getting nods of agreement from Sue and Emilia.

"Anyways, we'll use the time in the rest of the year, but I'll make sure to show you around to each subdivision, especially the ones in Magnolia Town, Crocus, and Hargeon Town, those three subdivisions are the most impressive of the bunch. Master Jose will most likely show you Phantom Lord's Main Building/Headquarters. If not him, then it'll be up to, er hem, Mr. Black-and-White Hair. Speaking of Mr. Black-and-White Hair, aren't you and him going to fight? Better not keep him waiting, or he might lose interest."

 _'Might lose interest.'_ A dark cloud hovered over Lorraine's head, casting a depressing shadow over her eyes as she murmured, "He might lose interest? If he has, I'll wait until nighttime and then kill him in his sleep. I'll remove his arms and legs, then cauterize the wounds so he doesn't bleed out. Once he stops screaming, I'll waterboard him for half an hour, violently castrate him, cauterize that wound, and then..."

 _'Daaaaaaamn, the insanity of Phantom Lord has gotten to her too.'_ Sue and Emilia sweatdropped, quickly scooting out of the room to get away from the supposedly disturbed mage. As the dark cloud vanished, Lorraine followed them outside into the corridor, acting as if she hadn't just revealed how she'd horribly murder someone as she shut the room's door behind her. They walked out of the corridor, back into the main section of the Phantom Lord subdivision, and headed for the bar where Totomaru, who perked up upon seeing them, stood.

He glanced at Lorraine's shoulder, noting that it lacked the strap of her backpack, "Thank goodness for that, you've finally gotten your room. You seem rather cheerful, did Emilia and Sue tell you about the subdivisions of Phantom Lord, and what Phantom Lord does for the Kingdom of Fiore, compared to Fairy Tail who aren't doing anything for Fiore, except driving it further and further into the slowly crumbling wall of inflation?"

"They told me everything, and as a side note, we have a fight to carry out. I hope you haven't forgotten, you were the one who brought it up." Behind Lorraine's back, Emilia gave Totomaru a frantic look, mouthing ' _She said she'd kill you if you forgot'_ , causing Sue to cough to cover up a laugh.

"Oh, I remembered, don't you worry. Let's take this out to the back, I don't need Master Jose giving us another lecture." Totomaru groaned as Gajeel entered the picture, his knuckles covered in bruises.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"I'm fighting Totomaru, where did you go, storming off like a little bitch of a seven year old who got told off?" Lorraine replied, teasing him.

"Fuck off, I went to beat something up. Also, you're gonna fight this dumbass? Oh man, I can't wait to see this. Count me in, I'm watching. 1000 jewels on a win for Lorraine, and 500 jewels if their fight ends in a draw." Gajeel's tone indicated that he wasn't suggesting, it was a statement.

Sue was hesitant to seal the bet with a fist bump, Emilia even more so. The last time the former had an opportunity to fist bump with Gajeel, he 'slipped' and broke her nose. Totomaru just scoffed, "Deal."

* * *

 **A/N: As this chapter ends, I'd like to thank Warmachine375 for providing me with several great ideas in their giant review. This chapter would've been a lot shorter otherwise. Thank you, Warmachine375, this story would end up being a lot more boring if it weren't for you.**


	4. Chapter 4

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

* * *

"The Revolution introduced me to art, and in turn, art introduced me to the Revolution." - Albert Einstein

* * *

Chapter 4.

The backyard of the Phantom Lord subdivision was large, but also rather simple. The left side and centre had been paved over with concrete blocks, while the right side of the backyard was a large pond. The pond had netting over it, presumably to prevent birds from swooping down and snatching up the koi in the pond, freshwater plants could be seen growing, and about four waterlilies, one of which had a small frog resting on it, lay on the surface of the water.

The backyard was blocked off, on all sides, by tall brick walls. The centre wall had the Phantom Lord mark carved into it, and all of the walls were lined with spears and barbed wire, the latter probably kept thieves from sneaking into the building. Although sneaking into any guild building was asking to get your ass kicked, especially if you hadn't been invited by anyone who actually belonged to the guild, but barbed wire should get the point across, long before they even got into the building.

"Are you done admiring the backyard?" Totomaru asked, putting on a sarcastic tone as he waved a hand to get Lorraine's attention. They didn't have much of a crowd to watch and cheer any of them on, at least according to her opponent. There were at least seventy Phantom Lord mages watching their fight, Lorraine didn't know how seventy people constituted as not much for Totomaru, including the likes of Gajeel, Sue and Emilia. Presumably, his ego needed a lot more people to constitute as a sizable crowd.

Everyone in the crowd were participating in the bet, meaning Gajeel would get 70000 jewels if she won the fight, 35000 jewels if their fight ended in a draw, or nothing at all if she lost. Knowing how furiously he'd react, Lorraine was tempted to lose so he wouldn't get anything. It'd probably result in him storming off again like a pouty child, chasing her around so he could get revenge on losing out of jewels in the 5 digits range, or entertaining her by unleashing the most obscene string of swear words that nobody had ever heard before.

Lorraine smiled, "Oh yeah, I'm done admiring the backyard. I mean, it was really useful, I got more out of that than I ever would if I admired you, since there isn't much to admire." She told him, getting a bunch of laughs. As expected, Gajeel's ear-destroying laugh stood out like a sore thumb, and some mages began teasing Totomaru about how he didn't have anything worth admiring. The teasing escalated when he began to give them irritated glares.

When it became clear that the teasing wasn't going to stop any time soon, Totomaru huffed, bringing his attention back to Lorraine, "Okay, these are the rules. No killing each other, and no severe maiming. By that, I mean we can't dismember each other. Forfeiting is allowed, and victory is attained either through knockout, or if you're knocked into the pond. Use whatever magic you want, except for whichever Arrow Magic technique that utilises napalm, and just try not to damage the backyard too much. Anyways, we'll... start... now."

"Requip: Oath of the Huntress." Lorraine called, and as quick as a flash, Totomaru began to raise his magic power, unsheathed his katana, and ran towards her - weapon held in the more sturdy, double-handed grip. She summoned a recurve bow, which was brown with several yellow lines going along the body, and raised it above her head to block Totomaru's strike. This wiped the smirk off his face, as he'd expected to easily cut through it.

 _'Oh my, she must've reinforced the body with her magic, or someone crafted the body from a mix of materials, creating something strong enough to withstand a strike from a katana which should've cut through it like a hot knife through butter.'_ Totomaru thought, impressed by either fact. Despite being in a disadvantaged position, Lorraine was able to muster the strength to push him away, then step forwards and swing the recurve bow at his face.

Totomaru brought up his katana to block the swing, but Lorraine pulled back from her initial attack to grab his wrist, pull him forwards, and then kick Totomaru in the chest. The S-Class Mage grunted, surprised by the amount of force behind his blow, but she wasn't done with him yet. Tightening her grip on his wrist, the blonde forced him to let go of the katana, and then yanked him forwards, driving a raised knee at his sternum.

However, Totomaru's S-Class title wasn't just for show. Cupping her knee with his free hand to negate the strike, he sharply raised his own and winded her with a blow to the abdomen, before directing another into her chest. Releasing each other, Lorraine took a few steps back, huffing and gingerly rubbing at her abdomen. She already knew that where Totomaru had struck her, bruises would soon follow. But sometimes experience, needed for the ordinary and magical parts of life, came with pain and marks. Lorraine knew the saying: 'No pain, no gain.'

Sue shook her head, "She got that first blow in, but then tried to go for more. She probably started to underestimate him, given how she got the first strike in, and left her guard down, giving Totomaru several openings to exploit."

Gajeel chuckled, "Gihihihihi, perhaps so, but you've got to give her some credit. Not many people can force Totomaru to let go of his katana, he loves that stupid thing. If it weren't for the fact that I'd get an earful from him, I'd eat it."

"You left several openings for me to exploit. If I was a dark mage, that could've ended right there and then. Unlike us, dark mages don't abide to rules set by the Magic Council, and will actively try to kill you. Other mages might aim to kill you, but usually if you give them no other choice, ask Master Jose for a few examples. Stressing out over managing Phantom Lord isn't the only reason why he acts like a lunatic." Totomaru commented, retrieving his katana as Lorraine expanded the distance between them, before nocking an arrow into her bow - he believed she called it the Oath of the Huntress. Then she took aim and fired past him. Confused by why she'd try and purposefully miss him, he watched as she said something, causing the arrow to split in two - the trajectory of one of the arrows being in the middle of his chest.

Before one of the arrows could plunge into his chest, he smacked it aside with his katana, and then yelped as two more arrows lodged themselves into his right shoulder. Wincing, he yanked them out. They came out easily, Totomaru was thankful that the arrowheads hadn't been serrated or barbed, but now he had to deal with the bleeding which was starting to ruin his clothes. Then again, he didn't have to, because it wasn't like the blood was pouring out in a massive waterfall-like manner. Each had a steady stream of blood, but it was nothing to worry about.

Seeing Lorraine's satisfied smirk and partially relaxed stance, he narrowed his eyes, "I wouldn't start bragging and feeling confident just yet, and that was just a couple of lucky shots. I assure you, it won't happen again." In a burst of speed, he appeared before her, swinging his katana at her chest. Lorraine scooted back and involuntarily fell over, watching as the katana cut through nothing but thin air, then pushed her entire body up with her hands, allowing her to kick Totomaru in the chin.

He staggered back, allowing to her to flip forwards onto her feet. As she went to nock another arrow, Totomaru lunged forwards and delivered a couple of slashes across her right arm. Hissing in pain, she retaliated by punching him in the face as he went to make a third slice on her arm, encouraging him to back off as she fired another arrow at him, and then checked out her injuries. They were shallow cuts which didn't require immediate medical attention. If he'd cut down to the bone, then Lorraine would stop fighting straight away.

The arrow exploded, knocking Totomaru down. Emilia's eyes sparkled with anticipation as Totomaru got back to his feet, surprised by the unexpected explosion, and then sheathed his katana, "Hey, Sue, looks like she can talk the talk, and walk the walk. I'm really surprised that Totomaru has only just managed to inflict cuts on her, he's one of the strongest mages in Phantom Lord, but I guess her reflexes are that good. Heck, she even managed to injure him first. With most other people, at this point, Totomaru has remained untouched and they look like they've gone through death by a thousand cuts, minus the death part. I can't wait to see how she handles his Rainbow Fire Magic."

"Rainbow Fire: Blue Fire." He called, as he magic circle appeared after he'd pressed the palms of his hands together, whilst keeping his index and middle fingers pointed out. A stream of blue fire shot forth from the magic circle, and Lorraine leapt aside to avoid it, but he flicked one of his hands. The blue fire immediately turned around, shooting towards her again. Leaping aside she it flew past her again, Lorraine noted that the blue fire emitted cold instead of heat. She could feel herself starting to get goosebumps.

Allowing the blue fire to dissipate, Totomaru pulled his hands away from each other, and pointed them at Lorraine. From his right hand came orange fire, while from his left hand came green fire. Lorraine had to frantically duck and weave to evade the onslaught of different coloured fire, but she was unable to escape the onslaught completely unscathed. The orange fire hadn't harmed her, but the stench assaulted her nose with the putrid smell of a dirty mop submerged in expired milk, mouldy cheese, and rotting, liquefied meat, causing her to groan and fall to her knees.

The stench stalled her enough for the twenty year old to create creative shapes with the green fire, and then direct the fire into her back, knocking her down. The green fire also caused no harm, but Lorraine was suddenly overcome with the feeling of wanting to empty the contents of her stomach, preferably all over the bastard with the smug smirk on his face. Her stomach felt like it was bouncing up and down on an imaginary trampoline whilst simultaneously doing cartwheels and sit-ups.

"Honestly, what the heck, you cruel bastard, what kind of magic is this? I'd rather simply be hurt by the fire, anything but this torment. I bet you don't even know what this feels like, especially that green fire? I swear on the name of every deity above, I'm not giving up. I'm breaking your nose for this." Lorraine pulled herself up into a sitting position, puffing up her cheeks and ducking her head between her knees as her stomach started doing star jumps, backflips, and squats. Hold on, why did it feel like her pancreas and liver were about to join in on the 'fun?'

"Gihihihihi, I almost feel sorry for her. Not the part with the green fire, but regarding the orange fire. With my enhanced sense of smell, he was practically torturing me. I'd take my stomach feeling like it was doing random shit, over the smell of that orange fire any day. Oi, Totomaru, hurry up and finish her off already." Gajeel called out, crossing his arms and smirking when he saw Lorraine cast a hateful glare in his direction.

"It's been fun, but alas, everything has to come to an end, and that includes this wonderful fight. Gaze upon the power of the rainbow and feast upon my deadliest flame, Rainbow Fire!" Totomaru held an arm above his head, cupped his hand, and summoned a basketball sized fireball which was saturated with magical energy, and changed colours every few seconds - going from green, to purple, to yellow, to red, to orange, etc.

He pitched the fireball at her as if he was playing baseball, but it went slightly off target, landing next to her and exploding with enough force to fling her across the backyard and kick up a lot of rocky debris. As she opened her eyes, having shut them when Totomaru threw the attack at her, and saw that she'd landed on the edge of the pond, all Lorraine could hear was a persistent ringing. She staggered to her feet - de-summoning the Oath of the Huntress - and looked around for Totomaru, but all she could see was a lot of dust.

As the ringing in her ears began to die down, a light breeze picked up and dispersed the cloud of dust that rendered her unable to see. Lorraine discovered that she was looking in the wrong direction, as she definitely hadn't been fighting Sue, Emilia, or Gajeel - the lattermost of whom was smirking at her. Rubbing her head, she turned around to see Totomaru with his hands held to his cheeks, as he staggered around like a drunkard. Suddenly, he screamed and threw himself to the ground, protecting the back of his neck from an invisible assailant.

"NO! WHY I-IS T-T-THE WORLD TWISTING AROUND LIKE W-WATER IN A SINK, AND IS THE SKY REALLY FALLING? OH SHIT, GO AWAY BEAR, NO, LEAVE ME ALONE!" He wailed, rolling around on the ground as if he was trying to get rid of whatever fire he believed was on him. Everyone, barring Lorraine, could only stare in disbelief as Totomaru got up and ran into the pond, falling over as he tangled his feet in the protective netting.

As he began flailing around in the water, entangling himself in the netting, Lorraine began laughing, Sue adopted a deadpan expression, Emilia started giggling again, and Gajeel facepalmed, "Alright, what the fuck did you do to him?"

Lorraine turned to him, "Remember, soon after our fight started, when I fired those two arrows into his shoulder? They had fast-acting psychoactive agents in them - even though they don't look any different to normal arrows, I call those the Hallucinatory Shot. Normally, I'd have to wait longer for the agent to 'work its magic', but I put two into him so it would work faster. The exploding arrow was meant to raise his heartbeat, pumping the agent around his system even quicker. Right now, Totomaru is experiencing some crazy hallucinations, intense perceptual anomalies, and other things."

Sue shook her head, "So you basically drugged and sent him on the equivalent of an acid trip? Girl, you are something else. So what, are you going to leave him like that, and how many special arrows can you use, you know, with your Arrow Magic? I know you said that you can use your arrows as mediums for techniques, like with psychoactive agents and explosives, but you never specified how many techniques you have with your Arrow Magic."

Lorraine shook her head, summoned a small vial of light blue liquid, and handed it to Emilia, "With my Arrow Magic, I can use twelve types of 'special' arrow techniques. Also, I've essentially won the fight since he can't continue, and I don't know what you'd call the opposite of the psychoactive agent, but here's the antidote. Get him to ingest the whole thing, and he should be fine within a few minutes or so. By the way, would you mind taking care of my arm? Bleeding out due to wounds inflicted by a katana, and dying after going into shock isn't on my 'to do' list."

"Gihihihihihi, pay up." Almost forgetting about the bet they'd made, the two female mages handed 2000 jewels to Gajeel. Then Emilia produced a small first aid kit. She started off by cleaning Lorraine's arm with a couple of antiseptic wipes, dabbing at the cuts for good measure, then soaking a cotton wool bud in TCP and wiping it on the wounds to clean them. Afterwards, a light green magic circle appeared as she pressed her hands against Lorraine arm. The sword cuts quickly closed up, forming scar tissue, but that was quickly replaced by new, healthy flesh.

Once she was done, Emilia sauntered off to 'cure' Totomaru of his unexpected and unfortunate predicament, and Sue went backside the building. Each Phantom Lord mage who'd participated in the bet began to file back into the guild, congratulating Lorraine on her win, but not before giving Gajeel his betted earnings. An incredibly arrogant and content grin was plastered to his face as he started boasting about how much he'd got, "Oh man, 70000 jewels, and I didn't even have to go on a few jobs. I should bet on you more, especially whenever you and Sue decide to fight each other, I'll be rich in no time. Gihihihihihi."

Lorraine rolled her eyes, wincing at his horrible laugh - which she'd now named 'Ear-Destroyer', "Yeah, yeah, keep laughing, Raditz. I was tempted to not put up a fight and lose so you wouldn't get anything."

Gajeel scowled at the nickname and revelation, narrowing his eyes, "Raditz? Is that another fucking nickname for me? I've had enough of this bullshit, no more nicknames. And I swear, if you'd lost and I'd lost out on the bet, I would've kicked your ass so fucking hard, after Totomaru had already kicked it, that you won't be able to sit down for a week. You hear!?"

The blonde condescendingly patted his head, a smirk stretching across her face, "There, there. You really need to _iron out_ your temper. One day it might get you in trouble, because I wasn't there to reign you in."

Gajeel deadpanned, ignoring the fact that she was patting his head, "Puns, really? I thought it was bad enough already, with all the random stuff that Master Jose comes up with. Now I've got to deal with it from you. Also, reign me in, do you look like a horse to you? Also, could you stop patting my head before I take your fucking arm off."

"Jeez, seriously, where did you get your _extensive_ vocabulary of swear words from? Fuck this, bullshit this, fuck that, bullshit that, fuck and bullshit everything in life. What were your first words as a baby, 'goo goo-fuck you and this baby gig is bullshit-gaga?' Since I've met you, I only heard you use 'fuck and bullshit'. You do know that there are other swear words, although given your... _friendly and welcoming_ personality, it's probably for the best that you don't use them." Lorraine told him as she stopped patting his head.

"Tch, I know about the other swear words, I just prefer 'fuck'. It's simple, isn't a mouthful with a load of syllables, and I just haven't had a good reason to use the other swear words. Once I do, you'll see how _extensive_ my vocabulary is... Bitch." Gajeel muttered.

Lorraine extended her arms, holding them out as if she wanted a hug, and grinned, "There we go you miserable punk, that's the spirit, although I would've preferred that you didn't direct the cuss towards me. Now, why did you go storming out of the guild earlier? Thinking about your sexuality and realised that I was right all along?"

Gajeel's face turned purple with rage, "For fucks sake, stop bringing that shit up. For the last fucking time, I ain't gay. I know where my preference lies, and it's definitely not in the guys court. I was just pissed about how your taller than me. Look at you, you're five inches taller than me, how did you even end up so tall. Most girls aren't as tall as you - look at Emilia and the other one, whatever her name is, for example."

"Aw, look at you, getting all insecure about your height. Stop stressing yourself out, or you'll end up prematurely getting grey hairs. I'm sure you don't want to look like an old man by the time you're twenty-six. Just keep eating, uh, iron, and you'll soon end up being taller than me. You'll probably be taller than me by this time in X780 or X781." Lorraine commented, prompting a vein to throb in Gajeel's temple.

"Oh joy, I'll have to wait for 730 days, potentially more, before I can be taller than you, and there's nothing guaranteeing that I'll end up at 6'4ft or 6'5ft, allowing me to tower over and look down at you. That's complete bullshit. Mother nature had one job, why couldn't you be more like 5'8ft or 5'7ft, then I wouldn't have to wait so long." Gajeel grumbled as they headed back inside the building.

"Yeah, well, once you're taller than me, I'll be the one doing all the complaining. So, until you exceed me in the height department, I'll continue to listen to the sweet music that is you complaining, and relish the fact that you won't be taller than me for quite a while." Lorraine replied, getting an irritated huff from Gajeel as they headed towards the bar which Sue was managing, as Emilia was still outside - taking care of a 'delirious' Totomaru.

"I'll have a Guinness, please." Lorraine told her, sitting on one of the stools, and Gajeel followed suit.

Gajeel loudly scoffed, nudging her, "Heh, what a girl scout - _please._ Also, what a lightweight, I'll have a Tequila - give me the bottle, don't pour it out. Oi, listen up, this is how a mage really drinks, none of that pansy ass 4.5% shit, well I don't know the alcohol content for Guinness, but I assume it's similar to what you had last time. We go right for the 31 to 55% alcohol content stuff, that's the hardcore shit. I know the legal limit for cosuming alcohol is 16, I think, but who gives a fuck, it's not like I'm in public."

"I understand that, but you're having Tequila? That's strong, how long have you been drinking to be confident enough to have that, and do you earn rep by drinking something as rough as that along with other strong stuff, like Vodka and Whiskey?" Lorraine inquired, flabbergasted as to why Gajeel would choose something so strong, especially with his enhanced sense of taste, as Sue asked them to pay 150 jewels.

As she wondered what sort of ending rampage would come down upon Fiore if Gajeel, a Dragon Slayer, got batshit drunk, he shrugged, "I suppose you do, and I've been drinking since I turned thirteen. Master Jose brought me my first drink. I commonly have it, so I guess you could say that I've gotten used to Tequila, I could finish the bottle, no problem. It's wrong, but you know what they say: 'If you're old enough to harness and fight with magic, then you're old enough to gamble, smoke, drink, and have sex. Magic is the adult side of the world, and even though I'm fourteen, I'm part of it."

"Good luck with that last part. You might be old enough to have sex, but girls would probably run at the sight of you, and it wouldn't be too hard for them to figure out how old you are. I know that I would definitely run the other way if I didn't know you." Lorraine replied, snorting as they paid Sue. Gajeel's fierce reply died in his throat as someone knocked on the building's doors, the dull noise echoing through the building.

Seeing as how nobody was making moves to get the door, Gajeel, with his opened bottle of Tequila in hand, walked over to answer it. Taking her glass of Guinness and thanking Sue for it, Lorraine had a sip, before following Gajeel to make sure he didn't do anything rash. When Gajeel opened the door, standing on the other side was a casually dressed woman, holding a bright blue notebook and pencil against her chest, aged somewhere in her twenties. She shuddered under Gajeel's intense stare.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything, I know Phantom Lord doesn't like to be disturbed, but I really need this, this is my first time on the job. I'm Elizabeth Carter, a reporter from the Sorcerer Magazine, and I'd like to interview this guild's resident Iron Dragon Slayer: Gajeel Redfox, otherwise known as Black Steel."

"Can you hold on for a moment, I just need a minute." Lorraine grabbed Gajeel's arm, turning him around before he could turn down the chance to be interviewed. Whispering into his ear, she said, "Before you turn her down, start swearing like a sailor, and burst a vessel in that head of yours, listen to me. This will look good for Phantom Lord, especially if you give her some great answers. It could even attract aspiring mages to Phantom Lord, especially if they read the Sorcerer Magazine and see you, someone with an alias, on the front of it. I know you don't like it, but please, do this for your guild, and for Master Jose."

"Are you kidding me? Fine, here, hold this." Gajeel handed his Tequila to Lorraine, and then turned to Elizabeth. He put on his best smile, trying to appear friendly as they stepped out of the guild, but it wasn't working very well. Gajeel looked like he'd smelled something horrible, his face being twisted into what resembled a disgusted grimace. Behind him, Lorraine mouthed to the interviewer, ' _Ignore him and ask away. Do your interview, Gajeel isn't a fan of interviews, but please try to bear with him. He's... a special case.'_

"Okay, first question. How long have you been in Phantom Lord, and have you enjoyed your time in Phantom Lord?" Elizabeth asked. Gajeel narrowed his eyes, that was two questions disguised as one, "I've been in Phantom Lord for two years now. Two years and one month to be more precise, and I guess I have enjoyed my time. It's never boring, there's always a fig... er, something interesting to do."

"Second question. How old are you, and what magic do you use?" Gajeel glanced at Lorraine, making sure that he wasn't the only one who was noticing what Elizabeth was doing, and then answered, "I'm fourteen year old, I can't remember when my birthday was, but I know it was before this month. As for magic, I use Iron Dragon Slayer Magic. It allows me to slay dragons, the 'Slayer' in the name being a dead giveaway, and it's classed as a Caster-Type Lost Magic by the Magic Council."

"Third question. What's the best quality of Phantom Lord?" At this, Gajeel smirked, "There's a lot of strong people to fight in our guild, but that's not its best quality. Our best quality is the fact that we have dozens of subdivisions all over the Kingdom of Fiore - acting as a business within a guild. Most people don't know this, but Phantom Lord is singlehandedly stopping Fiore from falling into the pit of inflation, the cause of that being all the reparations that go into fixing the massive amounts of collateral damage caused by Fairy Tail."

"Fourth question, I'm really sorry, I'm probably keeping you from whatever you were going to do. Anyway, what is your future dream?" Elizabeth questioned.

Gajeel just shrugged, "I dunno, I haven't put any thought into that, although I do want to obtain S-Class status, possibly become Guild Ace of Phantom Lord, and defeat our Guild Master, Jose Porla, in a one-on-one fight. Hm, I might even retire and decide to start my own metalworking business, although since I love being a mage, the chances of that happening are incredibly slim."

"Fifth question. With whom do you have the best working relationship?" As this was asked, Gajeel briefly hesitated, before looking at Lorraine. Almost being able to feel the pain that was Gajeel's pride being taken down a peg, the blonde bit the inside of her mouth to hide a smirk, watching the movement of pencil write out the small statement of ' _I have the best working relationship with my older cousin_.'

"Okay, last question. What was the most difficult job you have ever taken?" Elizabeth inquired, earning a thoughtful frown from Gajeel, "There was this time where I was on a job to take down an A-Class monster. The infomation turned out to be wrong, the monster was actually S-Class. I'm stubborn, but not suicidal, so I rejected the mission after getting my backside thrashed, allowing the town's mayor is hire someone else. I wasn't going to get myself killed over false infomation."

"Wow, thank you for your time, I'll be sure to return, hopefully next month. Be sure to purchase a magazine, written and published by the Sorcerer Magazine, sometime next week. I'm sure our interview will be in it. Goodbye, and stay healthy." Elizabeth called, walking off as Lorraine handed Gajeel his Tequila.

"I can't believe it, you managed to hold a conversation without swearing. I swear, the world must be ending, or you suddenly experienced severe brain trauma. Before your interview, I was starting to believe that the foul part of your vocabulary didn't have an off switch." Lorraine teased him as they walked back into the guild, successfully getting a rise out of Gajeel.

"Fuck off, I was just doing what you said for the interview, being professional. Some of the things I said, blergh, they left a bad taste in my mouth. Fuck me, I'm never doing that again." Gajeel took a swig from his bottle of Tequila, Lorraine following along by downing a quarter of her Guinness - almost cringing at the smooth texture of the drink as it slid down her throat.

"So, your best working relationship is with me, huh, your _cousin_? I must say, I'm honoured, we've only known each other for a few hours, yet you've known Sue and Totomaru way longer than you've known me. And regarding Totomaru's translation before we fought each other, are you up for forming a two man team with me, or are you having second thoughts? Having doubts? Regretting bringing it up?" Lorraine asked, taking a large sip of her Guinness.

Gajeel took a couple of swigs from his Tequila, considering whether he should silence the blonde with his magic. He glared at the table, adopting what appeared to be a muderously dark expression, "Well, I'm all up for it. And like I said earlier, you're alright, and I think I can trust you to have my back, although it's not like I'd need you to, I could easily take care of myself, regardless of what the situation is."

"Hey, I could... you know what, I'll just take that as yes with a vocal side order of fuck this and bullshit that. Finally, we just need a team name. We can't be going around with no name, otherwise people will think we're really disorganised idiots, and end up being knocked unconscious for implying that you're an idiot. I've got one: Team Iron Arrow?" Lorraine suggested, slowly finishing off the rest of her Guinness.

Gajeel laughed, clearly disagreeing with her choice of name, "Gihihihihihi, Team Iron Arrow? That doesn't sound intimidating, or memorable, at all. Sounds like the sort of thing an unimaginative ten year old, while trying to be creative with names, would come up with. I think some of your brain cells, alongside part of your IQ, died during the process of coming up with that name. What about this one: Team Gajeel."

 _'Sounds like something an unimaginative ten year old would come up with? Ouch, that hurt a bit.'_ Lorraine thought, choosing to reject his name, "Team Gajeel? No way, that makes look like you're a narcissistic and self-absorbed prick. You are most definitely a prick, but I'm not going around and travelling with someone who is self-absorbed, and that's something I know you're not, well, at least I hope so. If you are, I'll set you alight with napalm, since ordinary fire must be for _pansies_. You're arrogant, but not self-absorbed. Team Redfox is much better, it could easily apply to the both of us, especially if I lied about being a really close relative of yours."

"Yeah whatever, at least we have a fucking name now. I still can't believe you made me go through with that Sorcerer Magazine interview, you better not be making me soft." Gajeel grumbled, taking another swig. Lorraine laughed, setting aside her empty glass, before covering her mouth as she let loose a yawn.

"Whoo, excuse me. It's pretty late, time really does fly when you're having fun, so I should probably get to bed, don't stay up too late and get yourself drunk. I don't wanna come in here tomorrow and find out that you gave yourself alcohol poisoning. See ya... Asshole." Lorraine got up, brought her empty glass to Sue, and then headed towards the female dorms.

"Bitch." He replied, smirking as Totomaru and Emilia entered the building, the former looking rather unsteady on his feet and pale, while the latter was red-faced, presumably from laughing at Totomaru's plight. Clearly, the hallucinations and perceptual anomalies he'd been made to see, courtesy of Lorraine's arrows, had fucked him up good.

Gajeel created and threw an iron kunai Lorraine as she closed the door of the female dorms, the weapon impaling itself into the door. Tomorrow, Team Redfox would start going on jobs and show the world who and where the strongest guild in the Kingdom of Fiore was. They would take the magical world by storm, rise to the top, and not settle for anything less than the top. Everyone in Fiore would come to know exactly who they were, and one way or another, they'd eventually stop Fairy Tail's knack for causing collateral damage.

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 **A/N: And there we have it, the formation of Team Redfox. Give me your thoughts on this chapter, and tell me in your reviews, what you might want to see in the future. I'll try, if I can, to fit them into the story. Also, I hope the fight was satisfactory and wasn't short, but if it was, I'll try to flesh out and expand fights that I write in the future - and don't forget, Totomaru is a S-Class Mage, so I hope none of you expected her to win in a straight up fight. See you next time, and so you all know, updates may start slowing down, because I'll be starting work soon - working in the Royal Mail.**


	5. Chapter 5

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

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"The end may justify the means, as long as there is something that justifies the end." - Leon Trotsky.

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Chapter 5.

The following morning, Lorraine woke up at 08:35 am, being woken up by her body's internal 'alarm clock'. Since X776, she'd 'trained' her body so she would wake up at a time that wasn't too early, nor was it late - the latter being any time after 09:45 am. Dressed in a loose, unbuttoned shirt and knee length shorts, she rolled out of bed and pulled open the curtains, narrowing her eyes as the morning sun assaulted her sight.

Standing in the rays of the rising morning sun, Lorraine stretched to pull out the tight kinks in her neck, back, and legs - also using her hands to help get rid of the ones in her neck, pushing on her head until the bones in her neck clicked. After rolling her neck, the blonde pulled up her bedsheet and flattened it out. The only dead giveaway indicating that she'd slept there would be the slight compression in the mattress, and her lingering natural odor.

 _'Wakey wakey, rise and shine.'_ The nineteen year old thought, opening up the wardrobe to see what was inside of it. As expected, there weren't many choices of dress, her opinions being a couple of jeans, some shorts, a few racy lingerie outfits - Lorraine wouldn't be caught dead wearing them, not even for a dare - a couple of leggings, some choices of nightwear, several form-fitting dresses which were suitable for attending more... grown up parties and events, and some shirts which were sleeveless, short-sleeved, and long-sleeved.

As she rubbed rheum, the yellow crusty stuff that gathered in the corners of ones eyes, away with a finger, she made a mental note to go out and buy more clothes. What she had, barring the dresses and questionable lingerie outfits, would last her for about a month, maybe even two. Checking the drawers at the bottom of the wardrobe, Lorraine saw that she had dozens upon dozens of socks, and few piles of knickers, and a pile of womens boxer shorts.

The blonde shut the drawer, walked into the bathroom, and turned the sinks cold tap on. After allowing the cool water to run for a few seconds, she gathered some by cupping her hands, and then splashed it across her face - using the coldness to shock herself into waking up faster. Grabbing one of the towels and stripping down, Lorraine turned the knobs which would adjust the temperature of the water coming from the showerhead, and then took a quick shower once she was satisfied with the temperature.

Drying herself off after finishing, pulled back the shower curtain, stepped out of the bath and hung up the exfoliating bath and shower gloves to dry, brushed her teeth, then had the towel hang off her shoulders like a wet, heavy cape as she sat on her bed and thoroughly moisturised her dried skin with cream. Afterwards, she sprayed on deodorant, squirted on some nice smelling perfume that wouldn't assault Gajeel's nose, and then applied a little makeup, complete with anti-marking properties, to finish off.

Little, being the keyword. Lorraine could never understand girls who literally changed their entire appearance with makeup, hilariously overexaggerating several of their features. To her it seemed totally impractical, and the time saved by applying little makeup could be spent on doing something more productive, however short it may be. In fact, if it wasn't for the 'encouragement' Lorraine had gotten from a couple of her friends in Habanera Town, she wouldn't have gone anywhere near makeup.

Finally, she put on some clothes. Her attire was mostly the same - mesh warmers and grey leggings - but she'd decided to forgo wearing the purple blouse. Instead, she wore a red and white, long-sleeved checked shirt. It was a strange combination with the leggings, the shirt looking like it would be better off if it were paired with jeans, but Lorraine didn't care. She wore what she wanted, for the most part, and make it work even if it shouldn't.

 _'I bet Gajeel's eaten, or currently eating, a piece of iron for breakfast like the roughneck bastard that he is. Either that, or he's only just woken up from being shitfaced, likely raged over how he vomited all over his bedsheets, and soon to be struggling to nurse his hangover. Pity him, I do not. He got himself into that state, he can suffer through his hangover as punishment.'_ Lorraine thought, grabbing several cooking utensils and ingredients, making something for herself to eat for breakfast.

Within a few minutes, the nineteen year old had crafted herself a quick, filling breakfast. On her plate she had scrambled egg made from the beaten yolk of two eggs, two slices of buttered toast, an entire cans worth of baked beans, a couple of sausages, and three strips of bacon. Her drink was a cup of green tea, and she finished meal in twenty-five minutes - washing up once she was done.

Afterwards, Lorraine took a deep breath and closed her eyes to focus her internal attention on her Take Over tenant. Technically, tenant wasn't the right word for the mythical creature whose power she could use when utilizing Take Over, but prisoner was. This was due to the fact that the phoenix, who opted with female gender-specific pronouns and wanted to be called Astrid, couldn't leave her place from within Lorraine's soul, unless her host died in a manner in a way where resurrection was impossible, which would allow the firebird to be reincarnated, or if an external force was able to extract her - something that would end up killing her former host.

 _"Hey, Astrid, are you sleeping in there? We haven't talked or fought together in while, so I just wanted you to know that I've joined the Phantom Lord guild, and already made a few friends - one of which I've already formed a team with. I know I changed what my soulscape looks like, what, a few months ago, but if you want me to change it again, just let me know. I don't want you to be dissatisfied about your 'home'."_ Lorraine said, hoping for a response from her Take Over partner.

 ** _'No worries about disturbing any sleep, I was awake. Remember, I don't really sleep much, and you being part of a guild is really good news. By the way, I hope you told your new friends about me, I'll be sure to wow them when you demonstrate our Take Over to them. Also, I'm fine with how your soulscape looks, I couldn't ask for more. An endless amount of forest and mountainous area which I can daringly fly through, perform breathtaking stunts while I'm at it,_** ** _and burn to my hearts content."_** Astrid replied, giggling, causing the blonde to smile.

 _"That's good to hear, and I've told the Guild Master about you. He's a really weird guy, a jokester and slightly insane, but I think you'll like him, you usually like people with really quirky personalities. I've haven't told any of my friends about you yet, but I think one of them, Gajeel, might've noticed how you make me smell a bit like a bird and burnt wood. Soon or later, I might have to give an explanation for that. He's an Iron Dragon Slayer, so he's got enhanced senses - unfortunately making him a walking lie detector. He's got a brash personality, and, uh, a wild hairstyle. His swearing might put you off, but I think you'll like him'_ Lorraine told her, only to be met with silence for quite a while.

Once the silence went for an unusually long time, a hint of panic grasped at the nineteen year olds heart, " _Astrid, did I say something wrong? If I offended you, I'm sorry."_

After a while, Astrid spoke again, ' _ **You didn't offend me, I was just shocked, that's all, and if what you're saying is true, about your friend being a Dragon Slayer, then he's technically older than you. I'm bound by an oath to not elaborate on what I mean, but Dragon Slayer Magic was founded and first used over four-hundred years ago by Irene Belserion, Queen of Dragons, and the Queen of Dragnof. Dragnof was eventually leveled by a invasion of dragons, myself being there it witness it after my third rebirth, and she was presumed dead. The elemental forms of Dragon Slayer Magic were created soon after, including the Iron Dragon Slayer Magic that your friend uses. Please, don't bring this up to him. Technically, nobody should even know about it.'**_

 _"Alright, I promise that I won't tell anyone about this. Astrid, You have my word. By the way, I've always had this question running around my mind for quite a while, but I could never find time to ask it. You may have me to talk to, but do you ever get lonely in there - my soulscape. I mean, would you want me to find more mythical creatures so you can have company? It was a stroke of luck that allowed me to come across you, but finding more mythical creatures may become easier, especially after meeting you."_ Lorraine stated, opening her eyes and tilting her head.

 ** _'Binging in another mythical creature to accompany me? NO, I'll get_ _jealous of your divided attention!'_** Astrid whined, and then giggled, **_'Hehe, just kidding, I'd really like that, then I'd have someone else to play and talk with. But don't rush yourself to find another mythical creature, I can wait for however long it takes you to find another one. Although, I have some ideas for you to look out for: A siren, hydra, kraken, hellhound, or maybe even a manticore. If you ever came across them, I'd let you know what they were. There may be stories about them, but you probably wouldn't know what they look like.'_**

As a comfortable silence descended between them, Lorraine moved over to her sofa, sighing and relaxing into it. She'd met Astrid in X775, a few months after she'd added Take Over to her repertoire of magic, finding the majestic bird - smaller than how she normally was - sleeping in the middle of a burnt out clearing, presumably after having undergone a recent fiery rebirth. Her fifteen year old self had foolishly startled Astrid, rousing her into a frenzied panic and nearly getting herself incinerated in the process, only being saved by her Take Over which, in the midst of the panic, sparked to life and absorbed Astrid, sealing her into Lorraine's soul.

Their relationship had started off rocky. Astrid had been somewhat hostile, furiously demanding that she be freed her confinement and declaring that she wanted nothing to do with a human, being under the impression that Astrid was another human who would spark war to create a kingdom after obtaining incredible power - stating that she'd seen it happen before. It took a while for the blonde to convince her 'prisoner' that she had no intention of doing so, and their friendly relationship kicked off in X777, the same year in which Lorraine became a professional hunter.

* * *

(Boys Dorms, Phantom Lord - Oak Town subdivision, Kingdom of Fiore)

 _'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck... fuck, FUCK! Go suck on some bolts, Redfox, you're better than this, stop being such a little bitch. Only pansies are unable to handle this shit.'_ Gajeel groaned as he sat up too fast, the sudden movement only serving to make his hangover even worse than it had been before he sat up in bed. It felt like his brain was jelly, and his skull was being shaken about and assaulted by noise strong enough severely shake the aforementioned organ/food item.

 _'Merciful shit in a straw bucket. I mean call me Alex and fuck me sideways, I'm never drinking that much again.'_ Gajeel was never having Tequila again, or if he was, he'd just swig until he got halfway through the alcoholic drink. He now knew that, despite his metabolism being faster than that of your everyday mage, downing nearly two and a half bottles of Tequila was a _really_ foolish. Heck, he'd happily take the nauseous feeling generated by his motion sickness over the horrors of a hangover.

Gajeel flung himself out of bed and running over to his sink, he greedily gulped down as much water as he could, trying to lessen the intensity of his hangover, and only stopping when his body forced him to regurgitate all the liquid he'd just consumed. As soon as the contents of his stomach were emptied, he turned the cold tap until the water stopped pouring out, and then began banging his fist against the closest wall.

If Lorraine, or anyone in Phantom Lord saw him in his current state, Gajeel knew that none of them would let him live it down, especially Sol. The green haired bastard, on the outside, was friendly and respectful, but the fourteen year old knew him for what he really was. He relished psychologically torturing his victims and bringing up bad memories, regardless of what they were, and his cruelty was second only to Jose Porla - when he wanted to, he could be batshit insane.

As everyone in Phantom Lord knew, Jose had psychological problems thanks to all the work that had been dumped on his shoulders by the King of Fiore and the Magic Council, and collateral damage caused by Fairy Tail weren't helping at all. Having co-leadeds in each Phantom subdivision lessened his workload, however, his issues were bolstered by his magic: Shade, it's power being at its highest potential if the user was more in tandem with their negative, darker thoughts and emotions, and was virtually mentally unstable.

In exchange for being able to summon hundreds of phantom soldiers which could drain the life force of Jose's opponents at will, he had to have a fractured mind, immense magic power of a vile nature, and the tainted heart of a Dark Mage. The only thing that kept Jose's mind and body from crumbling entirely and falling into the inescapable pit of darkness was his mask of silliness, his allegiance to the King of Fiore, companionship with the religious organization called Zentopia Church, and his ambition to help those who needed it.

 _'Fuck this hangover.'_ Quickly searching through his rooms, Gajeel consumed a mixture of water, powdered ginger, tangerine pith, and brown sugar - having heard that it helped lessen the deceased the nausea symptom of a hangover. He nearly threw up at the taste, before going to get himself something to eat. That cramping feeling in his stomach had to stop, otherwise he was probably going to start waltzing around Fiore, picking fights until his hangover stopped.

He shuddered, and then drank a glass of water to clear his mouth of the taste. Then, he grabbed a piece of iron - he had dozens of pieces just lying about in his residence - and quickly consumed it, feeling his magic power spike slightly as it was quickly broken down by his powerful stomach acids, followed by his hangover fading slightly. It was much more manageable, but Gajeel still didn't like it - the feeling of someone forcefully squeezing on his brain and temples and refusing to lighten up.

* * *

Totomaru glanced up from his book, an adventure-fantasy bestseller with a female protagonist, which had been published a few years ago by someone called Layla Heartfilia - Jose being in contact with her businessman husband, Jude Heartfilia - as someone approached the table he was at and sat next to him. It was Lorraine, who he noted wore a checked shirt, and she appeared to be looking for someone, presumably that someone being Gajeel.

"Have you seen Gajeel?" Lorraine asked, interestedly inspecting the title and summary of his book.

He shook his head, "No, he drunk himself silly yesterday. Gajeel's going to be nursing an intense hangover, but I'd be surprised if he was already awake and moving. He drank so much that I had to drag him to his bed. He thought he could handle tequila, but that'll be a lesson to him. Hehe, don't get absolutely smashed, even if your metabolism works faster than that of an average person. I guess you'll have to wait a few hours before you go on a job, although since Gajeel has a hangover, he'll probably refuse to go on one.

"Refuse to go on a job because of a hangover? Please, if I know anything about Gajeel, he'll probably saying something like, ' _No way, hangovers are for pansies. I complete dozens of hard jobs while drunk, and I could deal with a hundred hangovers if I wanted to. Underestimate me and I'll bash your face in, you son of a bitch. Don't you know who I am',_ or something along those lines." Lorraine replied, getting an amused snort from Totomaru.

"That insult, 'you son of a bitch', sounded so wrong coming from you... and speak of the devil and he will appear, look who it is." Lorraine turned to see 'the devil' approach them with a sizeable piece of iron in his hand, perhaps two or three chunks having already been bitten out from it, and fling himself onto the seat next to her, cursing under his breath as he did so - pausing only briefly to greet her with a short grunt.

"Totomaru told me you'd be having a massive hangover, I mean you drank yourself into unconsciousness yesterday, according to him. Although, you're not as pissy as I thought you'd be. What happened, woke up on the right side of a bed which stank of your puke?" She inquired, earning a sneer from the fourteen year old, "Yeah, I did, and I learned a good lesson. I tried this concoction to lessen my hangover, absolutely fucking disgusting but it worked, and I had the weirdest dream."

"Oh, do tell, was it about you and your one true love: The Iron Maiden?" Totomaru coughed as he turned to the next page of his book, suppressing a laugh, and Gajeel glared at him.

"Laugh and I'll bolt your mouth shut. Actually, it had nothing to do with iron - asides from my Iron Dragon Slayer Magic. I could see an older version of myself, maybe four or five years older, and there's a black, winged cat perched on my shoulder. You and three other people were standing with me, and you happen to look older too. One was this emo kid, dressed in gold, red, grey, and black clothes, and he also has a winged cat - green, but it's wearing a pink frog suit." Gajeel started, his eyebrows set in a scowl.

"There was this chick, kinda cute, with blue hair and a weird hat on her head, about seventeen and seemed to be using some kind of Water Magic. The fourth was a kid who looked relatively normal, but he had many lines all over his body, almost as if he'd been in a sick science experiment and put together. The last person was Lorraine, looking mostly the same except for a few minor scars on exposed skin that I could see, and you seemed to be leading the group. There were also a few other people, but they were too far out or blurred for me to make out." The Iron Dragon Slayer finished, crossing his arms.

Totomaru and Lorraine glanced at each other. Then they turned back to Gajeel, the latter partially covering her mouth, "That's either a dream, vision, of the future - some kind of foresight about the future of Team Redfox - or all that alcohol in your system screwed up your brain. I've never heard of Foresight Magic, sorry about this, so I'm gonna go with the fact that the alcohol made you see crazy stuff, although the descriptions did seem rather... elaborate."

As Gajeel scoffed, Totomaru smirked, returning his attention to his book, "Well if it's true, then it seems Team Redfox will be loaded in the future. A force to be reckoned with, especially with just you two. I mean Lorraine was able to outsmart me, knowing that she wouldn't win in a straight fight, and that show ingenuity, while Gajeel can take hits and deliver his own bone shattering ones in return. I haven't forgotten about the time you nearly shattered my elbow."

The fourteen year old snorted, "Well that's what you get for boasting about how I'll never be able to beat you, Totomaru of the Conflagration, because you're a S-Class Mage. And then look, you got sent on a trip by Lorraine - you were put in your place by the 'rookies' of Phantom Lord. And that is how Gajeel of the Black Steel began to earn his rep in this guild."

"Gajeel of the Black Steel? Sounds pretty hardcore." Lorraine commented approvingly, getting a satisfied smirk from Gajeel. The fourteen year old thought over her battle with Totomaru, where she'd employed Requip: The Archer and Arrow Magic, the previous day - the S-Class Mage's incapacitation being something that Gajeel would never let the black and white haired mage forget.

He adopted a thoughtful expression, something that Lorraine thought looked totally wrong on someone as rough and tough as Gajeel. In fact, even with his clothes which didn't go together and wild hairstyle, he just looked like a nerd who been living in his mother's basement for too long - not that she'd ever say that to his face. Then he grunted, "Hn, I've got a couple of names for you; Phantom of the Arrows, or Archeress Lorraine."

"Easy there, Raditz, I've only been in Phantom Lord for a day and, almost as if I'm a famous mage or a mage who managed to achieve S-Class status, you're trying to give me a nickname. Let's not get too ahead of ourselves right now." Lorraine commented, fighting down a smile as Gajeel's right eye twitched in irritation at the nickname. She had a feeling that even when they were in their forties - assuming they managed to live that long - Gajeel would still hate the nickname.

Totomaru looked up from his book, pushing away a pout as he glanced at Gajeel and tried to reason with him, "Hey, at least the nickname she gave you is just another name, probably gotten from a comic book. With me, she's insulting my beautiful hair. That's something I wouldn't stand for, but... well, I don't want her to send me tripping on more hallucinations, or worse, set me alight with napalm. She'd probably wouldn't do the latter, but you can't tell with her, she's a psycho."

"And that 'psycho' is sitting right here in case you forgot about her _magnificent_ presence and enthusiasm. I'm going to come up with at least five more nicknames about you and have them all be associated with your blindingly painful hair, just for that dig at me, and fill your water tank with psychoactive agents. I can guarantee that your bath and shower times _are gonna be absolutely wild_." Lorraine added, raising her voice and giving Totomaru the sweetest fake smile she could muster.

Gajeel blinked, did her teeth really just go ' _ping'_ \- complete with visible shine? Had she drugged him without him noticing? _'Aw shit, she better not have.'_ Gajeel thought as Totomaru faceplanted the table, emitting an audible groan of despair, "Oh sweet heavens, what cruel punishment have I brought upon myself? Please, send anything to save me from my incoming torment or strike me down where I sit."

Nothing came to grant either request. The Iron Dragon Slayer looked at his team partner, got up and grunted, "Well, I ain't sitting around all day. Oi, Lorraine, get off your ass, because we're going over to the Phantom Lord subdivision in Magnolia Town. You're a newbie, so I might as well show you around to the other subdivisions - the one in Magnolia Town being the closest."

Lorraine promptly 'got off her ass', biting back a smartass retort that would probably set him off into an angry tirade. Gajeel was dealing with a hangover, pissing him off too much wasn't a good idea. Hungover people tended to 'flip everybody's shit' when aggravated. She shifted her weight onto one leg, "Alright, am I gonna need to pack anything, or are we not staying for more than one day?"

"You ain't gonna need to pack anything, and even if we were staying in Magnolia Town for more than one day, every subdivision has extra guests rooms." Gajeel told her. Telling Totomaru that he'd see her later in the day or tomorrow, Lorraine followed the moody fourteen year old, accompanying him out of the guild. She wanted to call him 'Tour Guide Gajeel', but didn't think he'd take it well.

Walking with him, she noted that they were travelling east. The blonde was going to ask him why they weren't taking the train, but remembered that Oak Town's Train Station was still being constructed, and the rail lines which linked Magnolia Town, Hargeon Town, Akane Beach, and Clover Town didn't reach Oak Town.

"So, we're going to the Phantom Lord branch in Magnolia Town, huh. I'm guessing you've been there before, so what's it like? Just as wild as Fairy Tail?" Lorraine inquired as they passed several kids who were playing together. They scattered upon seeing Gajeel who slightly turned his head, glancing at her with one red eye, "Yeah, it's awesome. Guild brawls are commonplace, just like in Fairy Tail, and there's always someone strong to fight. I'd be surprised if someone didn't randomly challenge you to a fight."

The nineteen year old smirked, somewhat excited at the thought. Besides, there was no way she'd lose and humiliate herself in front of Gajeel. She said, "Well, sounds pretty cool. And if there's always 'someone strong to fight', then a lot of them must possess some powerful forms of magic. Hm, I guess I'll see when we get there."

The Iron Dragon Slayer grunted as they were hailed by a balding middle-aged man. He was standing next to a horse-drawn carriage which, from what they could see, had dozens of bags full of fresh fruit and vegetables inside. Gajeel turned to Lorraine and upon seeing her nod at him, turned back to the balding man and crossed his arms, "Alright, old man, I'm guessing you need help? Go on, spill."

Lorraine dropped her face into her hands as she sniggered behind him. He _really_ needed work on his conversational skills, because 'Go on, spill' felt really passive aggressive, but then again, it was way better than 'Come on, hurry the fuck up.' The trader brushed off Gajeel's rudeness, crossing his rather muscular arms, "Yeah, I'm transporting these to the market in Magnolia Town. I should've put this up as a job request, but I forgot. Help me get these to Magnolia Town; protecting me from potential raiders, and I'll pay you 14,000 jewels. May I have your names, mages of Phantom Lord?"

"14,000 jewels? Sounds pretty good, I'm Gajeel Redfox, and this is my older second cousin, Lorraine Xanthine." Gajeel told him, the latter waving when her name was mentioned. The trader clapped his hands together, clambered up into his seat behind the two horses, grabbed the reigns, and then tilted his straw hat, "I'm Jack Daniels, and I'm feeling pretty safe already - escorted by a tough-looking kid and his pretty cousin. HAH!"

As the horses began to advance, Lorraine felt a blush rise onto her cheeks, especially after Jack gave her a playful wink. Gajeel snickered at her plight, getting an ineffective glare for his troubles. Fighting down a full blown blush as they walked alongside the carriage, the blonde opted to making conversation, "So, uh, Jack... how long have you been doing this, transporting fruit and vegetables to a market in Magnolia Town?"

"Oh, asking questions and trying to get an eyeful of my eggplant, eh? I see you peeking through the windows." Jack laughed as Lorraine blushed, quickly catching onto his double entendre. He gripped onto his reigns tighter as they entered the forest, the carriage wheels rolling along the gravelly path "I've been doing this since I was nineteen. I was going to move to Crocus and apply to become a Rune Knight, but I sustained a persistent injury which meant I had to do something else. I'm not upset about it, I enjoy what I do."

They continued along in a peaceful, comfortable silence. A little while later, Gajeel poked Lorraine in the arm to get her attention, causing her to jump slightly as she wasn't expecting it, and whispered, "Oi, what did that guy mean by 'trying to get an eyeful of my eggplant?' I mean I understand why you blushed when he called you pretty, but I didn't get why you blushed a second time."

Lorraine smiled. Tough and brash as he was, Gajeel still had an innocent mind when it came to sexual references. She raised an eyebrow at him, knowing he'd hate the answer she was going to give him, "Eh, it's nothing important. I'll explain it to you when I'm older."

A vein pulsed in Gajeel's forehead, but rather than verbally express his displeasure, he settled for glaring at her. Then his ear twitched. Lorraine suddenly lashed out, turning her head to the trees on their right and caught an arrow by the arrowhead. If she hadn't of caught it, it would've plunged into her right arm. Jack stopped without needing to be told, watching as Gajeel moved to stand next to her.

A group of eleven men emerged from the trees, all wearing clothes which was colour coordinated with the trees and bushes. One of them held a bow, but didn't seem to be in possession of anymore arrows. Which idiot went around with a bow and only one arrow? The rest were armed with knives, and the leader of the group stepped forwards, "Hey, we just want what's in the carriage. Give us what we want, and nobody has to get hurt."

"Guys, seriously, you don't want to do this." Lorraine snapped the arrow in half, smirking when she saw the man with the bow make a 'finger against the throat' gesture towards her. Gajeel snorted, crossing his arms, "You should listen to her. If anything, you're the ones who are going to get hurt, badly, and if my hearing serves me correct, then we're about to have monstrous company. I'm guessing... four or five Forest Vulcans."

"That doesn't matter, we'll be long gone before they arrive, leaving you three and the horses to the mercy of the monsters. Now, I'm gonna say it again. Just give us what's in the carriage and nobody, not even the blonde chick, has to get hurt." The leader of the group said, sounding confident in victory as the man with the bow slung it over his shoulder and drew a knife. Apparently these lot had never faced off against mages before.

Lorraine sighed, and then summoned a composite bow - nocking an arrow with a flaming arrowhead. Two of the men gasped, muttering to themselves, presumably about how they'd chosen the wrong people to pick on. Gajeel eyed the flaming arrow, wary. Was that the napalm arrow that Totomaru had told him about last night?

She took aim at the leader of the group who widened his eyes. "Oh well, that's how you want to play it, so have it your way." Lorraine released the bowstring with an audible ' _Twang'._

* * *

 **A/N: I'm so sorry for the long delay. I swear you won't have to wait as long for chapter six - writer's block is a serious bitch. Also, I got fired from my job - still got paid for the one day of work though. Also also, enjoy your Christmas holidays - chapter six on Christmas... anyone?**


	6. Chapter 6

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

* * *

"The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see." - Winston S. Churchill

* * *

Chapter 6.

Gajeel didn't know why criminals seemed to lose their common sense when encountering mages, regardless of what the situation was. Despite being warned that their opponent could manipulate the elements or do something that defied the very laws of nature, criminals still seemed to think that they could win. No, your flimsy arms which had barely done more than lug around a dead deer weren't going to do much against the unforgiving destructive force that was magic.

Perhaps criminals were secretly psychologically troubled masochists who enjoyed pain and sustaining injuries of varying severity, confronting mages just to get a kick out of what they loved. That was the only sensible thing Gajeel could think of. Why else would you decide to rush someone who just savagely brained your friend with an iron club - unless your intent was suicide-by-mage? Realistically, you wouldn't. You would shit your pants, realise how much you fucked up in life, and run the other way - praying that you'd never see your would-be assailant again.

Then there was always the nervous looking guy in the group of criminals; the shaky guy who looked like he'd rather be doing anything expect threatening someone with a knife, but joined the life of crime out of peer pressure from their friends. Gajeel didn't even pity them, but he did go easy on them... just a little bit. Those guys should've grown a pair and told their friends to fuck off as they'd be seeing them in prison within the next six or so years. However, this group didn't have _that_ nervous guy, they all seemed confident, although that confidence seemed to slip a little when Lorraine summoned one of her bows and fired a flaming arrow.

It felt like hours had passed as he watched the flaming arrow descend upon its target, the tail-end wobbling in mid-air. In reality, only a second passed as the arrow - which he still didn't know if it was a normal flame arrow or napalm arrow, even though he couldn't smell chemicals to suggest the latter - flew above the head of the leader of the group. The coward had ducked, allowing the arrow to sink into the chest of the man standing right behind him.

The man yelped in pain as the fiery arrowhead buried itself into his sternum, bellowing in horror and agony as his form was engulfed in flames a split second later - his screams sounding like that of a howling banshee and an incredibly distressed cat. He immediately threw himself onto the floor with reckless abandon, frantically rolling back and forth in an attempt to put out the flames. Three of his 'buddies' considered helping him out, but raised their knives - overconfidence present in doves on their faces - and went for Gajeel instead.

Watching as they quickly circled around him, supposedly thinking that it was impossible for them to lose with numbers on their side, Gajeel one of the men's wrist as he jabbed at his chest. Scoffing at the lame attempt to injure him, Gajeel pivoted his body and drove the knife deep into the abdomen of one of the other men. He didn't wait to watch the man go down, grasping at the wound in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding, as he headbutted the man who tried to stab him first, sending him staggering.

He turned to the third man who tried rushing him from behind while his attention was on the other two. "Iron Dragon's Club." Gajeel called as he transformed his arm into an iron club, swinging and bringing the club into contact with the man's head. There was a dull metallic ' _Thunk'_ as magical iron met his skull, producing a notable dent in it, and the man was out like a light, crumpling to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Taking note that the man who'd been set alight had managed to put himself out, but didn't escape without second degree burns and fast forming burn blisters, the fourteen year old swung his arm, clubbing the headbutted man in the jaw. He went down screaming, that quickly turning into choking as the teeth that Gajeel had dislodged flew down his throat. With his other hand, he roughly slapped the man on the back - helping him eject the teeth - and then knocked him out, leaving him there with his pulverised jaw.

Quickly taking care of the man with the abdominal wound and the man who managed to escape and fiery death, the Iron Dragon Slayer shifted his arms back to normal and turned to see how Lorraine was doing. She'd disposed of men who went for her, excluding the leader of the group. He'd managed to pin her to the floor, leaning forwards to put as much body weight as he could into driving his chunky knife into her face, the only thing stopping him was Lorraine's arms and her own resistance.

"Wow, I must say, you're pretty strong for a girl - I bet you're pretty crazy in bed, huh? He inquired, smirking as he managed to make a slight descent with the knife, it's tip now barely resting against her skin on her right cheek. Gajeel thought about helping her out, but Lorraine seemed to be hard-headed and stubborn like him. As much as she'd appreciate the assistance, she'd probably want to take care of the jackass herself.

"Wouldn't you like to find out, Pretty Boy?" Lorraine retorted, grinning as he narrowed his eyes at the nickname. She suddenly loosened her arms, turning her head away from the knife, although still sustained a cut on her cheek as the knife was suddenly jammed into the ground. As 'Pretty Boy' went to extract his weapon from the ground, Lorraine headbutted him in the face. He yelped, distracted by the unexpected attack, allowing her to take 'the high ground' - her straddling him.

 _'Ho-ly shit.'_ Gajeel had to hold back a whistle as Lorraine punched his face in, beating him until he had a broken nose, clearly had a black eye forming, and was unconscious. She wiped her injured cheek on his shirt, and Gajeel noticed that the cut on her cheek had quickly healed. That confused him, since when was Lorraine a healer like Emilia? Or was there something else he didn't know about, but would have to wait until the nineteen year old told him herself, and did it have to do with why she smelled like a bird and burnt wood? Jack clapped, apparently having enjoyed the spectacle that was a couple of mages fighting a bunch of low-life idiots.

Ignoring the clapping of their client, Lorraine got up and gave Gajeel a pointed stare. He merely shrugged, gesturing at the men he'd dealt with, "What? Don't give me that look, I was busy with these guys and I knew you could handle some cocky punks. If you could outsmart and beat Totomaru, then a few crooks would be no problem for you. Heck, you dealt with the guy who had you pinned down... Stop staring at me like that!"

Lorraine huffed, briefly looking over Jack and his horses to make sure they'd escaped from the scuffle unscathed. Finding no visible wounds, she turned back to the Iron Dragon Slayer, "Alright, so you said that we'd have 'monstrous company' in the form of four of five Forest Vulcans. But why would they be around here, aren't the Forest Vulcans exclusively native to the East Forest, and what do you know about them? I've never met one before."

"My best guess would be that they're migrating; just like how depending on what time of year it is, some species of bird move to the different nations in Earthland - moving to breed. But, what the hell, I'm not a Vulcanarian. However, I do know that they understand and use human speech - however primitive it may be - employ Take Over to survive; hijacking the bodies of their target, and they have a particular obsession with women." Jack stated, and Gajeel's mouth twitched, "Here they come. Right in front of us, two coming from the left, and two coming from the right.

"Well don't I feel lucky. Perverted monsters who want to claim our bodies." Lorraine grumbled, summoning a pink, light blue, and purple longbow. Just as Gajeel had said, four Forest Vulcans emerged in front of them - two coming from the forest side ahead to their left, and two others coming from ahead to their right. The monsters were large, anthropomorphic monsters that possessed distinctive facial features, elongated chins, prolonged ears, and pointed heads that resemble a single horn on top of their head. Their eyes lacked pupils and seemed to faintly glow.

They had gargantuan arms and sequentially large hands that attach to their muscular torsos. In comparison to their upper body, the Forest Vulcans possess a pair of smaller-scaled legs that feature a long tail connected to the bottom of their torsos. Their fur is colored green and their pectorals, abdominals, hands, ears, and facial features are colored a bright shade of purple. The lower half of their body is a darker shade of green and the decorative pattern on their arms consists of five pink hearts on each arm.

Gajeel glanced at Lorraine, watching as she nocked an arrow which had a small orange lacrima attached situated directly behind the arrowhead. The Forest Vulcans circled them, ignoring the unconscious men, and largely focusing on the blonde. One of them grunted, taking a step forwards and pointing at the nineteen year old, "Woman. Want woman... give woman. Want wom-"

There was a sickening ' _squelch_ ' as the arrow pierced through the eye of the Vulcan. The horses buckled, becoming nervous and increasingly agitated, as the monster screamed and staggered backwards. Its head was suddenly replaced by a rapidly expanding ball of explosive pressure, smoke, and fire. The Iron Dragon Slayer cringed as the monster's head was scattered all over the clearing, groaning in disgust as a fleshy part of its nose smacked him in the face.

As Jack struggled to get his horses under control and stop them from galloping off, the other Forest Vulcans bellowed incomprehensible, angry at the loss of their friend. One stomped forwards and threw a heavy punch at Gajeel. He simply stepped aside, transforming his arm into a large, jagged iron blade - the blades soon buzzing round so fast that it may as well have been a chainsaw. He jumped, swinging his arm down and splitting the Vulcan in two with a rather messy cut that went from head to toe.

Landing before the two halves could hit the floor, Gajeel shifted his arm back to normal and winced as another explosion rang out, the pained screams of a Forest Vulcan following quickly after. Its right arm below the elbow had been reduced to a bloody stump, the monster being put out of its misery by an arrow between its eyes. It crumpled to the floor and the last Vulcan charged towards Gajeel who smirked and took a deep breath.

"Iron Dragon's Roar." A poor iron-filled tornado blazed forwards, swallowing the monster and carrying it away - knocking down several trees and forcefully slamming it into a tree which buckled under its weight and the force of the impact. When it became clear that the monster was getting back up, Lorraine and Gajeel turned to Jack, the former giving him a thumbs up.

"Thank you, and just for that impressive display of your abilities, I'm gonna increase your pay to 16,000 jewels, although blowing up that monsters head was a little overkill. Now then, to Magnolia Town we go." Jack told them with a grin, flicking the reins and prompting the horse to advance again. Gajeel took a glance at the pieces of Vulcan head, as Lorraine followed alongside the carriage, scrunching up his nose as the memory of being hit in the face with a piece of Forest Vulcan nose replayed itself in his mind.

Jogging to quickly return to Lorraine's side, he nudged her, "Oi, what the fuck was that back there? I know you said that you were a professional hunter, hunting animals and monsters, but I didn't think you'd be able to take a life so easily - even if it was that of a common monster. You brushed it off so fucking easily, how many times have you killed something before, huh? Heck, I have to deal with it since my magic is so powerful that I end up killing others, normally monsters, without meaning too. What's your excuse?"

"I took my first life a week after I became a professional hunter. It was deer which was in pain; suffering from an abdominal wound, something that would've killed it, even with medical attention. I put an arrow through its head, silencing its screams. You'll never want to hear an animal scream, and after that incident, neither did I. I always made sure to score a head-shot on whatever I was hunting, end it immediately and prevent it from suffering the cruelty of pain and a slow death. I still hear its screams, even in my sleep - the horrible agonized wailing. Lorraine told him, sighing as she looked over at him.

Gajeel grunted, finding her earning even more of his respect - something he didn't 'hand out' willy nilly, "Well shit, you're even more badass than I originally thought you were. I have a question - what did you do with animals and monsters that you killed? Keep parts of them as trophies, or eat them, although I can't imagine that flesh of a monster tasting good... can it?"

The blonde chuckled, "You'd be surprised, I'd say - depending on the monster - that the meat tastes like chicken or pork, sometimes something better altogether. It's also a lot more filling and has a lot more calories, although that's thanks to the amount of fat they have... you know, to keep themselves warm, but that can be burnt off through exercise. I'd have you know that monster meat is a common delicacy in Crocus. You don't see it being sold anywhere else, because it's expensive as hell."

"Figures. If everyone knew how tasty monster meat was, monsters would be getting slaughtered left and right. You know what, one day we'll be going to Crocus so I can have a taste of some monster meat. God-fucking-dammit, you've made me hungry with all this conversation about food. Screw you, go hunt a couple of rabbits or something... now that I think about it, I've never tasted rabbit meat either." Gajeel commented, a thoughtful grin on his face.

"You want me to hunt and kill some cute rabbits? Screw you, Gajeel... you heartless bastard."

* * *

(3.5 hours later - Magnolia Town, Kingdom of Fiore)

"Well, thank you for getting me to Magnolia Town, I'll be able to handle myself from here. Here's your 16,000 jewels." Jack said, handing a large sack full of jewels to Lorraine who handed 8,000 jewels to Gajeel, and put away her share. After saluting them, the man tugged on his reins, prompting his horses into action - heading towards the main market of the aforementioned town, and leaving them right outside the Fairy Tail Guild.

Glancing at each other once Jack was out of sight, the duo took a moment to inspect the guild - having a feeling that he left them there on purpose. Notwithstanding the large, colourful, and eye-catching design, the Fairy Tail Guild just didn't look as impressive as the Phantom Lord subdivision building in Oak Town. Apparently the current Guild Master didn't feel the need to get in a dick-waving contest with Jose, or that's all he could afford without going over-budget.

It consisted of three floors, all the while incorporating several architectonic styles: it took on a shape reminiscent of a pagoda, with each floor being smaller than the one below it and sitting on the roof of each previous floor. The roofs happen to have a great resemblance to those of real pagoda, consisting of extremely long, arched tiles lined up one after the other - possessing simple curved protrusions jutting upwards on the building's angles.

Topping the summit of the building, on the uppermost roof, sat a simple, round and pointed dome, highly reminiscent of those seen on Arabian buildings, which bore a flag on its point. The roof below the one with the dome, the one between the lower floor and the top floor, housed a large banner with Fairy Tail's symbol on it, held up by a pair of vertical poles.

The building's large entrance was again Arabian in design, with its shape being reminiscent of that of the dome on the summit, and above it was the guild's name, topped by a protruding, stylized heart shape and flanked by a pair of carved fairies. Stylized heart shapes were also visible on the frames of the numerous, large pentagonal windows located on each floor, with the top floor housing smaller, arched windows partially covered by banners.

"It looks like a building made for a party, or something like a wedding. From the outside, it just doesn't look like what you'd expect from a guild. I guess the wacky design will appeal to wacky people. Look at it, it looks like it's about to topple over, or the roof of the second floor is about to give way, allowing the top floor to crash through to the bottom." Lorraine commented, sounding unimpresssed - even though she had now seen what made Jose so furious in person - giving the building a once over.

Gajeel grunted, an almost sadistic smirk plastered onto his face, "I wanna blow it away with my Iron Dragon's Roar, or smash it to bits with my Iron Dragon's Club... I wanna do it _so bad_. I won't, because it'd probably start a war between our guilds - something that crazy bastard doesn't want right now - and get our guild disbanded by the Magic Council for instigating a war between two guilds, something which has been illegal for quite some time."

"Considering the state Fairy Tail has the Kingdom of Fiore in, they'd probably let you get away with it. Although, this has been running through my mind since it was mentioned to me, if Fairy Tail was putting that much pressure on Fiore's economy, then surely the Magic Council would have a solid reason to disband them - put an end to whatever is causing the damage." Lorraine said, almost as a quiet murmur as she eyed the symbol of Fairy Tail.

She half expected Gajeel to lash out in retaliation. Instead, he simply shifted his weight from one foot to the other and crossed his arms, "Yeah, Jose likes to overexaggerate infomation. I'm a guy where brawn comes before brain, but I definitely ain't stupid. Turns out that the Kingdom of Fiore is nowhere near crippling inflation - just 37% percent of the way there. Master Makarov encourages recklessness from his mages, but not that much to the point of ruining the country. I asked him about it myself."

"Not only that, but there's a former member of Fairy Tail in the Magic Council. Yajima, he's a close friend of Makarov's, and he jumps to his guild's aid when the council are thinking about disbanding them. Fairy Tail is known for general bad behaviour, not just collateral damage, and the Magic Council would've disbanded the guild by force already if it wasn't for that old man. He's a tough bastard - dealing with Master Jose and Master Makarov." Gajeel sneered, sniffing the air.

Whilst Gajeel was preoccupied with his nose, Lorraine felt that someone was watching them. _'Who's watching us, someone who wants to try their chances with two mages from Phantom Lord?"_ She thought, taking a cautious look around to try and find whoever was spectating them. From what she could see, there wasn't anyone watching them from behind or from the direction that Jack had taken himself and his goods down.

Running a hand through her hair, she turned to face the opposite direction of which Jack had travelled in and caught sight of a small figure watching them, peeking his head out from what appeared to be an alleyway. His magic power was eerie - like she was being bathed in shadows - and strong, almost as strong as Gajeel's. When the figure caught her looking, he ducked back into the alleyway, but before he could think about chasing after him, his magic power suddenly dimmed and accelerated away.

It seemed that their stalker had zero intents on being caught, but Lorraine was perfectly happy to wait and hunt him down another time. Gajeel, totally oblivious to the person who'd been watching them, grunted and smirked, "Three males, one female, and one cat recently left - I'd say about twenty minutes ago. The smell of their magic has faded, but I can tell that the cat has the ability to use magic and the three guys are strong, the sort I'd want to fight... although I'm suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to get a cat of my own - preferably with wings."

Lorraine resisted the urge to have her palm connect with her face, "Seriously? What sort of cat are you thinking of - a panther which reproduced with a peregrine falcon, creating a kitten which can somehow speak English, simultaneously be badass and cute, speak as if it had the voice of a teenager whose balls dropped _hard_ , and has the ability to sprout angel wings - allowing it to fly around all the while managing to carry you?"

A light bulb suddenly flicked on in Gajeel's head, and he appeared ecstatic about the idea of having a flying cat. Lorraine was starting to wonder whether the Iron Dragon Slayer had more screws loose than Jose did - despite the latter seeming to be unhinged to dangerous levels. A toothy grin almost split his face in two, "That sounds like a cat fit for me. If I can't get myself a cat like that by the end of X781 - giving myself reasonable time here, gihihihihi - then I'll... uh, fuck... I'll, uh, think of something. Anyways, let's do what I took you here to do, introduce you to the Phantom Lord subdivision in Magnolia Town."

Before they Gajeel could lead Lorraine away from the guild, one of the larg doors opened and somebody stepped out. It was a fourteen year old girl with white hair, and she was dressed in revealing gothic clothing. Lorraine heard Gajeel mumble 'fuck my life' as the girl spotted them, smirking and approaching them. She wondered what their relationship was, especially since her partner didn't seem to be pleased to see the Fairy Tail mage.

"Hey, Thundercunt, I knew I could feel your magic power outside. Long time no see." She called and Lorraine burst into laughter at the nickname, almost doubling over. Gajeel was awash with shame, he hadn't expected to meet this demonic psychopath so soon, nor had he wanted Lorraine to hear about his unflattering nickname. The blonde's laughter didn't help and he was tempted to smack her in the head to get her to stop. His white haired 'friend' stopped a few feet away from them, "And who the hell is this, your girlfriend?"

"His girlfrie- Lordy no, he's way too young for me. Still, Thundercunt, I've never heard that one before. I'm Lorraine Xanthine, his cousin, guildmate, and teammate - Team Redfox." Lorraine replied, letting a short giggle fly past her lips. Gajeel growled, ignoring the every fibre of his essence which was screaming the him to silence them both. Starting with escorting that middle-aged man, Jack, to Magnolia Town and earning 8,000 jewels, his day had been good, but now someone had taken a giant shit on the rest of his days.

"Sooooo... how do you know you each other? From the nickname, I guess you know each other pretty well - come on Gajeel, you're clearly 'friends', introduce her." Lorraine pushed with a daring grin, wanting to get at the juicy details. The white haired girl snickered maliciously, evading a punch thrown at her by an irritated Gajeel.

He hissed, practically spitting out the words, "This. Is. Mirajane Strauss. I met this smug bitch eight months ago, bumping into her whilst I was out on a job. I was on my to where the job would be when I literally walked into her. We argued. I sensed her magic power, demanded that we fight, and was mildly surprised when she accepted almost immediately. We fought for about a minute, and we... I kinda, uh-"

"Lost." Mirajane finished, punching Gajeel in the shoulder with a fist that faintly throbbed with cruel magical energy. He glowered at her, trying to pretend that her punch hadn't hurt him. Mirajane scoffed, simply crossing her arms, "I beat his ass in sixty seconds; beat him black and blue, and left him running with his tail between his legs. Mr. 'I'm So Tough' became 'Bitch Ass Thundercunt' that day. I've called him thaton every following encounter."

 **"Hey, heads up, she's a user of Take Over, just like you, but she employs the Satan Soul branch of the magic. It's no wonder why Gajeel lost. She fights by utilising the powers of a demon, taking on their appearance as she does so. Hits from his Iron Dragon Slayer Magic, even a full powered Iron Dragon's Roar, would've felt like mere love taps to her. She would've thrown him around like a toy and beaten him like a punching bag."** Astrid told Lorraine, surprising the nineteen year old.

Gajeel, from what she'd seen of him so far, appeared to be stronger than most of the mages she saw in the subdivision in Oak Town - stronger than even Totomaru. He seemed to be able to handle himself, but to be toyed with and beaten black and blue in sixty seconds? Mirajane must've lain a smackdown of unbelievably epic proportions on Gajeel.

"Oi, Lanky Bitch, I forgot your name... oh yeah, Lorraine, you're a Take Over mage like me. I can sense the something, remarkably powerful, inside of you, but I can't tell what it is? What's your Take Over branch?" Mirajane questioned, causing Gajeel to narrow his eyes at the blonde. She'd only demonstrated her Requip and Arrow Magic, but she had been hiding a third type from him. Would her odd smell, the bird and burnt material, finally be explained to him?

Lorraine held up an index finger to Gajeel, effectively silencing him before he could actually say anything to her. "It was meant to be a surprise, or something I'd show you in the long run. Fortunately, Mirajane wasn't able to spill all the beans, but I assure you that you won't be dissapointed when you do see my Take Over, Mythic Soul in action. However, I'll give you a clue as to what creature I can utilise with my Take Over. Firebird. Anyways, see you around Mirajane, Raditz here was showing me around."

Mirajane gave them a pearly white smirk, flipping the bird at them as she walked off with a crumpled up piece of paper sticking out of the back of the gothic-style shirt. Lorraine playfully nudged Gajeel as he huffed, leading her in the direction that Jack had directed himself, "Awwww, look at you... Gajeel's got a _girlfriend,_ and she beat his ass. _G-I-R-L-F-R-I-E-N-D._ Mirajane and Gajeel sitting in the tree - **K-I-S-S-I-N-G.** First comes love, then comes marriage, Then comes baby Redfox in the baby carriage - sucking his thumb, wetting his pants, doing the hula, hula dance!"

Gajeel thought he was going to bust several blood vessels in his head or go into cardiac arrest from the teasing. He did not need this shit right now. God, everyone in Phantom Lord would have a field day if they found out about how he got his ass kicked, and Jose would most likely flip his shit - sending himself into cardiac arrest - or go on a suicidal rampage against Fairy Tail, fueled by nothing except his disgust and fury.

Right now he just wanted to get to the subdivision in Magnolia Town and fight someone strong. Preferably the chick who'd been assigned by Jose to be the master of the subdivision, and why was Lorraine still _fucking teasing him?_ A vein throbbed in Gajeel's head as he rounded on her, his sharp teeth bared to display his irritation, "You shut your mouth, or Jose help me, I will shove a fucking iron pole down your mouth."

She faltered for a moment and then smirked, and Gajeel already knew he wasn't going to like what Lorraine was going to say. The blonde chuckled, "Wow, that was intense. Is that your pickup line: Hey girl, want to have a few drinks and come back to my place so I can shove my iron pole straight down your throat. Hope you got rid of your gag reflex, 'cause your gonna have a tough time if you haven't."

Gajeel guffawed, rolling his eyes in amusement. Seems like he was gonna have to deal with jokes like these and irritating nicknames for the foreseeable future. He just hoped that they wouldn't grow on him, leading him to start making similar jokes. He stopped, holding his arm out so Lorraine wouldn't go waltzing past him, and ground out, "Well, here we are. The Phantom Lord subdivision in Magnolia Town - looks similar to Fairy Tail, I know."

Taking a good look, Lorraine noticed that the Magnolia Town subdivision building was similar in appearance to the subdivision in Oak Town and the Fairy Tail Guild, taking features from both and blending them together. The colour scheme was blue and purple, and there was a large Phantom Lord symbol decorating the space above the front doors. Gajeel advanced, pushing open the front doors and entered, Lorraine following in from behind.

Loud. Loud was the word that could be used to describe the interior, leading Lorraine to assume that the walls and windows were the soundproof sort, because the subdivision would be getting thousands of complaints each day otherwise. Gajeel cringed in discomfort, raising his hands to his sensitive ears, but not fully covering them. He must've been waiting for his enhanced hearing to get used to the noise.

A couple of gigantic speakers, situated at the other end of the room, were screaming out heavy metal music at a volume that would make anyone uncomfortable - Lorraine noticed how nobody was sitting on the benches that the closest to the speakers. After a while, the volume of the music was lowered, but the noise level in the room practically remained the same, all thanks to the dozens of conversations that were going on. They must've been half deaf from all the heavy metal that'd been blaring out of the speakers.

"Fuck me, this is why I don't come here often. The level of talking is fine, but the music just destroys my head." Gajeel grumbled to himself, gingerly rubbing his temples, and somebody - a female with hair which had been dyed sliver - soon came over to them, giving the Iron Dragon Slayer a look pity. Lorraine expected explosive backlash towards such a look, but Gajeel simply grunted and muttered, "Thanks, Huiqing, I can't stand it when the music is that loud. I feel like my fucking eardrums are about to rupture and blood is going to start pouring out."

The blonde hadn't expected Gajeel to thank her, she thought he would've expressed his appreciation through grunts - his usual form of communication, alongside unexpected violence, growling, glaring, and almost inaudible mumbling. Her surprise grew when Gajeel gave Huiqing a fist-bump. Suddenly remembering that he'd arrived with someone, he introduced said 'someone', "Lorraine, this is Huiqing Jiao, the appointed master of this subdivision. Huiqing, this is Lorraine Xanthine, she's five years older than me, a pain in the ass and a newbie Phantom Lord mage, and my teammate - the other half of Team Redfox.

"A pain in the ass? I'm sure that description applies to anyone you've ever met - Master Jose included." Huiqing commented with a teasing smile, earning a snort from Lorraine, who in turn received a nasty glare from the Iron Dragon Slayer. Shifting her weight from one foot to another, the sliver haired female turned to Lorraine, approvingly scanning her form, "So, Lorraine, I like your hair colour - strawberry blonde, pretty unique. You're five years older than Moody Guts here, nineteen years old. Pretty late to be joining a guild, what were you doing before you became a mage of Phantom Lord?"

"I was a professional hunter in Habanera Town, hunting monsters and animals with various bows and arrows, my variety being thanks to Requip: The Archer and Arrow Magic. I'd also earn jewels that taking on jobs that my town would put up, effectively signing up to the Magic Council as an Independent Mage so they could keep track of me. Lorraine told her, getting a curious expression - presumably wanting to know more about her magic - and a respectful nod from Huiqing, "I also use Take Over, but i want to surprise Gajeel when I reveal it to him. I've already given him a clue, but I don't think he'll be able to figure it out. Raditz is clueless like that. Huiqing... that's a nice name, how old are you and what magic do you use?"

Huiqing adjusted her stylish and tight-fitting cheongsam as she giggled, "Raditz? Gajeel's nickname, that's pretty _rad_. How did I not think of something like that... Anyway, back to your question - I apologize for getting a little sidetracked by your nickname for my cute Iron Dragon Slayer - I'm eighteen years old, a year younger than you and Jose gave me this position a couple of months before my 18th birthday. Heck, if i can manage Gajeel, then I'd have no problem with handling this subdivision, and I use a powerful Caster-Type Lost Magic: Arc of the Celestial Element."

Lorraine scrunched up her face in confusion, not too much though, she didn't want to start getting crease lines. She glanced at Gajeel, "The... Celestial Element? What's that, asides from being a powerful form of Lost Magic."

Gajeel smirked and crossed his arms, "She basically said that with her magic, she can engage in combat with the Aether - the prime/pure element that flows through nearly all of existence."

* * *

 **A/N: And here's chapter six for you guys! Merry Christmas to you all. Favourites, follows, and reviews will be appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 7

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

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"The only thing new in the world is the history you do not know." - Harry Truman.

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Chapter 7.

"That was probably the coolest sentence which has ever been said to me. The prime/pure element that flows through _nearly all_ of existence?" Lorraine repeated, her breath almost being taken away, and Gajeel snickered, watching her in awe was funny. He had no doubt that she was thinking about why Huiqing had been made the master of the Magnolia Town subdivision, she was undeniably powerful, likely more so than Jose. But then again, she hadn't seen Jose in action, so it was probably unfair on the forty-five year old for her to automatically assume that Huiqing could beat him.

Although he knew that Huiqing's power had various weaknesses to prevent the her from doing anything she wanted and becoming a near god-like being; one such example being that the magic was incredibly difficult to control, similarly to the Crash that Gildarts Clive: The Ace of Fairy Tail used. Gajeel had seen her magic in action before, and in some occasions the magic appeared to have a life of its own - doing what she didn't want to do.

It also happened to rapidly drain magic power, like water down an unplugged sink, and it was highly dangerous, something that could only be used with care to prevent the accidental homicide of multiple people. Jose wasn't too caring about the possibility accidental homicides, but Huiqing definitely was. She'd rather not get the blood of other people on her hands and psyche.

Lorraine gave her an appraising once over, "Well, I definitely won't be challenging your authority because I'll definitely get my ass kicked, and I won't be sparring with you either. I'm guessing you kicked Gajeel's ass, presumably after he did his 'leave me alone or I'll knock your teeth out' thing, and taught him a lesson since he clearly respects you?" She inquired, getting an annoyed grumble from the fourteen year old.

"Yeah, don't ask Gajeel even though he's standing _right there_. What am I, invisible, or smaller than a centimeter?" He huffed, crossing his arms as he caused Huiqing to laugh at his antics and briefly shut her narrow eyes. Gajeel didn't always do the 'wait until they've really to react' thing. It was just that most people didn't really catch his attention, heck, despite not appearing to be friendly friendly towards each other, Totomaru and himself got on well. The only problem was that the older man was too nice for his liking.

When Huiqing had gotten her laughter under control, she gave Lorraine a nod of confirmation and playfully nudged the Iron Dragon Slayer who side-eyed her, "That's exactly what I did. This was whilst I was in the subdivision in Oak Town and during his first week at Phantom Lord. He lashed out and I retaliated in the appropriate fashion. I earned his respect on that day, and now we're friends. You wouldn't think he'd have friends with that off-putting attitude and foul tongue of his, but I guess that's what makes him unique."

Gajeel snorted - unique - that was definitely a word that could be used to describe him. He was _special_ , a Dragon Slayer with an affinity for iron, but that didn't mean he could escape getting his ass kicked by the likes of Huiqing and Mirajane. The former just told him who was 'in charge', but the latter was just a complete humiliation and blow to his pride. He still hadn't gotten over it. That loss was going to stick with him for a while.

"So, does _every_ Phantom Lord subdivision in Fiore have someone who is assigned to be master? I'm pretty curious to know about the one in Crocus... I think I was told that there was one in major parts of the nation, but I could've misheard." Lorraine spoke up, curious. Gajeel glanced at Huiqing, raising a non-existent eyebrow when she gave him a smile and a nod - giving him the 'go ahead' to explain.

He jumped a little and bopped her forehead, causing her to wince slightly. Gajeel knew he hit hard. "Gihihihihihi... as you were asking, there is a subdivision in Crocus. The Phantom Lord mages who reside there are the sort who don't mind being watched and monitored by the Magic Council 24/7. At the request of the Magic Council, Jose partially redesigned it to serve as a viable rendezvous point for Rune Knights, and as a training location - giving them some combat experience with mages before they're deployed into the field."

"It's also run by this badass middle-aged guy who is a good friend of Jose. His Take Over kinda puts the Requip of Erza Scarlet to shame. Gihihihihihi, the master of the subdivision in Crocus is Balderich Wilhelm, fifty-one year old ex-Rune Knight, and user of Take Over, Machina Soul: Crusader. I've seen the guy in action, and I apologize for my language Huiqing, he's an absolute fucking badass. Until I met him, I'd never seen someone casually smack aside a monster with a classification of S-Class. He's how a Rune Knight should be, able to actually take care of themselves." Gajeel finished, smirking at Lorraine's shocked expression.

"Did I mishear, or did you actually say sorry to Huiqing?" She questioned.

A vein throbbed angrily in Gajeel's forehead, "What, is that all you focused on!? Did you forget everything else I said after saying _that_ word?"

"Er, no." Lorraine cheeks burned in embarrassment, "It's just... you're not the sort of person who seems like they know how to say sorry. Huiqing, you've really got a great deal of respect from Mr. Porcupine-with-a-Bad-Attitude. You smacked him on his ass on your first meeting... I'd never be able to do that with my magic: Requip: The Archer and Arrow Magic. He'd just turn his skin into iron and my arrows would bounce off, although there is this customized bow, my third one with performance modifications, that I've ordered and it might be able to allow me to prove a point."

Gajeel deadpanned and Huiqing smiled, "That was a pretty neat pun. Was it intentional."

"Nope, I do enjoy making puns though... I just haven't gotten the chance to recently, the opportunities just haven't seemed to appear for me yet. Well, except for that one I directed towards Gajeel." Lorraine replied, causing the Iron Dragon Slayer to snort, "Oh yeah, I remember that one. You told me to _iron out_ my temper, and I have a feeling that you're going to make a rainbow or fire-based pun towards Totomaru soon. Knowing him, he'd find it hilarious, unless you directed the pun towards his hair - Gihihihihi."

"Yeah, Totomaru can be pretty sensitive about his hair, and I thought Lorraine might appreciate seeing what my magic looks like." Huiqing extended one of her arms, facing the surface of her smooth palm towards the ceiling. Gajeel noted that, like usual, the eighteen year olds hands lacked calluses and scars since she was primarily a distance fighter, but that didn't mean she could deliver a good punch if she wanted to. Heck, a lot of people who arrived at the subdivision with a powerful forms of magic tended to underestimate her because of how delicate and fragile she looked, and Gajeel knew first hand that Huiqing was anything but fragile.

A small white ball flared to life in Huiqing's palm; prompting several nearby mages to look over in curiosity, while Gajeel felt himself become awash with several positive feelings and the urge to loudly express himself - with equal amount of ham that theatre actors usually waltzed around with. Taking great restraint in preventing himself from damaging his pride in front of everybody, the fourteen year old snuck a glance at Lorraine who was positively glowing with admiration and warmth... wait, hold on, did he have sight problems or did he really her eyes briefly flicker to golden-orange?

Wondering if the flicker was potentially related to her Take Over magic, Gajeel would dismiss it for now as a trick of the light, caused by the aether ball in Huiqing's palm, and he refocused his attention on the subdivision master. A tendril reached out, arching towards Lorraine's face and gently poked her in the nose, before seemingly caressing her cheek. As entertaining as it may be, Gajeel wasn't really into the soft touchy-feely going on before he.

Leaving the two girls to their devices, he walked over to a group of mages - four men who were a year older or significantly older than him. One of them spotted him as he approached, gesturing his hand to a nearby table and causing a chair to float over for Gajeel to sit on. Grunting his appreciation, the fourteen year old reclined in his chair and fixed his menacing red eyes on the dark-skinned male who was sat opposite him.

"Boze... how's that career search as a musician or DJ going for ya? Having any luck?" Gajeel questioned, a smirk threatening to split his face in two as he narrowed his eyes. Boze wore a reddish-violet V-necked shirt under a pale-green jacket, with a furry blue trim around the collar. He also sported a pair of gold-framed glasses that have purple lenses, with one of these lenses being mostly broken.

As Gajeel was suddenly aware of the irritating ringing in his ears, Boze huffed, rolling his eyes behind his glasses, "Hey, stop teasing me, man. I've looked everywhere, all over Fiore, and they all want someone who doesn't use magic. I don't get it, someone with my magic would be perfect in the music industry - imagine the kind of musical tunes and pitches I could whip out. Perhaps eardrums need to be busted to start convincing people."

One of the other males, Augustus, snorted in amusement, "Yeah, go ahead and do that. We'll see how tough you are when Jose finds out what you've done to the reputation of Phantom Lord, and when Lahar - Rune Knight prodigy and Captain of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit - comes to shut your shit down. Have fun spending a few months, potentially even a year or two, behind bars because of grievous bodily harm or whatever the exact team."

Boze blanched and the ringing in Gajeel's ears stopped, "Yeah, you have a point. And I'd rather face Lahar than go be on the receiving end of Master Jose's temper. Remember what happened to that guy who challenged his leadership? He used his Shade to drain a large majority of his life-force, leaving him in coma for eight months. I'd never piss off our master, I mean nobody would, we're all scared shitless of him."

"You might be, Pussy, but I ain't. I ain't scared of anything." Gajeel replied with a scoff. Again, he wouldn't admit it, but he actually was scared of what the Magic Council could do to him if he stepped out of line... and getting his ass kicked by the psychotic demon again. Then again, anyone wasn't afraid of the Demon Fairy was simply a complete idiot and had no self-preservation instincts whatsoever.

An eighteen year old with a butch cut hairstyle, Nightshade, smiled at Gajeel and leaned forwards, "Everything fears something. Nightmares come from the fear of every little child: the monster under the bed or the bogeyman hiding in the closest. There's no way you've never had a nightmare. Heck, if the master of this subdivision has had a nightmare - she's one tough cookie to boot and she's got you on a leash - then you've got your fear and you've had a nightmare or your own."

"We only found out what her fear was because you gave her a nightmare associated with it. Then, not knowing that her nightmare had been 100% caused by your magic, she came running to you for comfort - spilling what her fear was to us. Frankly, I'm surprised you didn't take the opportunity to bed her right there and then. She was practically putty in your arms, and you're that sort of dude - she's clinging to me and needs comfort, time to stick my dick in vulnerable." The last male of the group, Morgan, stated with slight disgust.

Nightshade shrugged his shoulders, "Hey, no need to shout, I don't need Huiqing hot on my ass and ready to blow me, heh... blow me, to the other side of Fiore with her magic. Besides, it's not such a big deal. That's what escorts are for, now worry about finding yourself a girlfriend and getting laid. I'd say the same to Gajeel, but he's only fourteen. As for you, _Gajeel of the Black Steel,_ who's the hot chick that you came into this place with aaannnnnnnd... is she available? I mean, for the love of all that is holy, look at those thighs clinging to those leggings. I'd just love to hold her down and _thoroughly_ explore-"

"She's new." Gajeel interrupted as Boze nearly inhaled his drink. Nightshade was _that_ friend, the one who chose to rarely make decisions with the muscle between his ears, opting to think first with the item between his legs, and if you didn't stop him, he could get rather detailed on his sexual activity of choice. As manly as he may be, at least for a fourteen year old, Gajeel didn't want to hear any of it and wished he'd been carrying brain bleach for the first time he'd heard Nightshade get enthusiastically descriptive about what he did with an escort. If that hadn't scarred him, then Gajeel didn't know what would.

His right eye twitched, "Lorraine Xanthine, my cousin and teammate in Team Redfox, nineteen years old... and she's growing quite close to Totomaru. He quickly added, slightly regretting it when Nightshade smirked and reclined in his chair, almost causing his unbuttoned shirt to fall open. The Iron Dragon Slayer probably would've found himself punching him for that - he didn't need or want to see the model-like washboard six-pack abs of another guy.

Boze coughed, adjusting his glasses, "Jeez, Nightshade, that was too much. I nearly choked on my drink, it's not fun when you accidentally snort any carbonated drink up your nose. It's absolute hell, especially if it's a really fresh drink. Try to cut back on the amount of description in your, ah, tales. I don't need to know about how you'd explore what's between the legs of any girl." He commented, getting nods of agreement from Augustus and Morgan, and a simple grunt - signifying agreement - from Gajeel who looked slightly irritated.

Morgan smirked, "Totomaru, huh? I haven't seen that guy in a while, but I bet he's still nice and eccentric as ever. It's good that he might be finally finding someone after being rejected or cheated on so many times. Poor guy has been taken advantage of one too many times. It may be the right time for Phantom Lord's resident rainbow-firebender so share his exuberant personality with someone else. He's the sort who could make any girl laugh with little effort, unlike Nightshade - going around and layering it on thick, yet still getting the one-night stand for his efforts."

"Exactly, I'm still getting a lot more than you'd ever hope to get. Contact me when you manage to get three girls to come back to your place." Nightshade replied, smirking as he winked at Morgan. Gajeel snorted derisively, crossing his arms, "Oh come on, stop boasting, were those three girls just escorts? There's no way you could be smooth enough to convince _three different_ girls to get into bed with you. I'd probably be more smoother than you, and I don't even know any good pick-up lines, well, at least good ones that aren't cringy as hell. Gihihihihihi."

"That's what you'd like to think, I can be perfectly smooth when I want to. I mean, I get complimented when the chicks find that I'm not just smooth personality-wise." The cocky teen replied, prompting his associates to turn green-faced with disgust at the unwanted mental images. Whilst they were 'distracted', he turned his gaze his Huiqing's form, briefly running his eyes over her slim figure, before averting it to Lorraine and chuckling when the tall blonde glanced at him for a moment, briefly giving him an uninviting smile.

"I see she's the 'hard to get' type of girl. I like that, I'll have a fun time breaking down her defences. I bet she's the wild, dangerous, unrestrained type in bed: the no-holds barred kind of girl. I've already had a few of those, but bedding one more wouldn't hurt." Gajeel twitched at his words, fighting to keep the smirk of hilarity from gracing his face. He could already hear the 'well wouldn't you like to find out, but sorry tough guy, I'm off limits right now. How about you move on and try your luck with another girl' coming from Lorraine's mouth as her retort of choice.

The fourteen year old Iron Dragon Slayer chuckled, feeling rather mischievous, "Gihihihihihi, well you'll never know if you don't ask. Why don't ask you her later tonight? We plan to stay here until tomorrow, so you'll have all the time past 19:30 to ask her. And remember, I said she's growing quite close to Totomaru, not they're definitely with each other, so your so-called _charms_ might have the desired effect... at least for you."

"I'll definitely ask her tonight, that way I'll definitely be able go at it with her all night, pounding away like no tomorrow as if I'm a jackhammer with no protective covering." Augustus playfully mimicked, getting a laugh from the others except Gajeel, whilst Nightshade just smiled, tapping his left temple, "My, Augustus, how did you how what I was thinking? Are you a telepath, since when can you hear and read minds? Seems I'll have to be more careful about what I'm thinking about while I'm around you."

Morgan just deadpanned, immense disbelief written all over his face, "Oh please, that wouldn't change anything, even if Augustus was a telepath. We all know your common thought processes are something along these lines: 'Huiqing's firm shapely ass, all the girls in this subdivision are so hot, the chicks posing in the Sorcerer Magazine are so sexy, I'd love to try my luck with the more mature women in Mermaid Heel, who's the next chick to get her brains fucked out by me next month, etc, etc, etc'."

Augustus snickered, "Well, you definitely wouldn't be wrong. Hey, he's like Laxus Dreyar - not the sort who is interested in or has the patience for a proper relationship, the only difference being that he uses his status as an S-Class Mage, his incredibly powerful and flashy Lightning Magic, and status as grandson of Makarov Dreyar to get girls into bed. To be honest, I think Nightshade and Laxus would get along rather well, the only problem being that the former can be a bit of a weirdo who'd unleash the legendary temper possessed by the latter."

"Everyone in Phantom Lord is weird as balls. Face it, we all have something particularly crazy about ourselves - how can we not, I mean Master Jose, our guild master, is one weird motherfucker with obvious psychological issues, he might retire before his brain caves in under the mental strain - Gihihihihihi." Gajeel added, letting loose his infamous laugh. Augustus snorted, downing his glass of raspberry and lime flavoured cider, whilst Morgan finished off his tequila and set the glass on the table.

"Moving the subject away from our... slim and curvaceous subdivision master, Nigjtshade, who would you rather get into a magical scuffle with: Master Jose of our guild, Master Goldmine of Quatro Cerberus, or Master Makarov of Fairy Tail?" Morgan asked, fervently hoping to change the subject away from Huiqing and her newfound friend, even if the change happened to be a temporary one. Heck, he'd choose to listen to Gajeel's laugh all day, over Nightshade's unnecessarily descriptive comments about his 'experiences' with girls.

The eighteen year old snorted, slightly tilting his head back as he raised an eyebrow and grinned at Morgan, "With my Nightmare Fears Magic, that's an easy question and the answer definitely isn't Master Jose: I'm a mage under his command, he'd know how to defend himself against the magic of one of his... soldiers. I'd of for Master Makarov - that old bastard has definitely seen some crazy shit which probably haunts him today, and because he's so old at eighty-three, I could probably incapacitate him by inducing a heart attack. Whether it's fatal or not would depend on how much effort I put into it."

Nightshade glanced over at Augustus, pointing at finger at him. The other male perked up, narrowing his eyes at the eighteen, almost as if he was daring him to start anything 'funny.' The former snorted, almost snickering as he wiped the smirk off of his face, "Alright, I've got one for you. Augustus, which Guild Ace would _you_ rather fight: Fairy Tail's Ace - Gildarts Clive, Phantom Lord's Ace - Erik Shepard, Sabretooth's Ace - Jiemma Orland, or Lamia Scale's Ace - Jura Neekis? And you've pissed off every single one of them."

Augustus blanched, his face visibly turning a pale white as his blood drained itself from his face. Gajeel knew that he, himself, would go for Jura Neekis. That guy seemed strong, although obviously not the strongest, and the Iron Dragon Slayer knew he'd have fun as he was horribly smashed to bits by the man's Earth Magic. Augustus gulped, "This is cruel, but I'd go for Gildarts. With his Crash, it'd be over for me before I had a chance to scream for help. He'd just scatter my skull all over Fiore in the span of half a second. _BOOM,_ deader than dead. Closed casket for me."

"Wow, that was really morbid." Boze and Morgan replied, the former giving the latter a questioning glance that said: 'Dude, why are you copying me? Want me to bust your eardrums?' Augustus sighed, glad that his turn was over and turned to Gajeel, the fourteen year old lowering his non-existent eyebrows into a scowl in response. The older male shuddered, Gajeel's stare gave off the effect of bring threatened up close with several dangerous knives that weren't going to be used to kill you quickly.

Nightshade smirked at the pregnant silence that lingered between Gajeel and Augustus, the former almost flinched when the volume of a nearby conversation almost deafened him - courtesy of Boze who tilted his head in response to the glare he got. Gajeel wasn't a really patient person, and the silence was starting to grind on his nerves. He molded an iron kunai with his magic, twirling it by its point of his index finger, "Well, hurry up, I haven't got all day to sit around and watch you stare at me like a brain dead idiot. Spit it out."

Augustus narrowed his eyes, but refrained himself from making a retort that would no doubt start a fight between him and Gajeel. He hummed for a few seconds, thinking over his desired question, and the spoke, "Gajeel, who would you rather get into a full-blown fight with: this subdivisions master - Huiqing, the master of the subdivision in Crocus - Balderich Wilhelm, or the master of the subdivision in the northern sector of Fiore - Alexis Shiverpeak?"

For a moment there was silence for about a dozen seconds, and then Gajeel unleashed his trademark laugh - flinging the kunai past Augustus' right ear and slightly cutting the lobe, "Gihihihihihihihihi, this is an easy one. No offence to Huiqing, I mean she clearly strong and all, but a fight with Balderich would be insane - completely out of this world. None of you have seen that guy in action before, but you'd agree with me if you saw that many fight. That man is how Rune Knights should be, gihihihihi, not pansies who can't win a fight against a paper bag."

The others stared at him for a moment, stunned an the incredible anomalie that was Gajeel of the Black Steel giving someone else a compliement. Boze adjusted his glasses, "Heh, knowing you, you're mostly likely telling the truth. Come on guys, would Gajeel give a compliment to someone who he thought was weak? Look at Macao Conbolt and Wakaba Mine, they are two skilled veteran mages of Fairy Tail, but you don't see Gajeel praising them because he knows that they wouldn't put up much of a fight against him."

"Awwww, I'm flattered that you think so highly of me." Sarcasm dripped from Gajeel's voice, his smirk slowly settling into a neutral facial expression as he fixed his gaze onto the dark-skinned man. The raven-haired fourteen year old reclined in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, "Boze... who would you rather get into trouble with and be directly punished by: any member of Fiore's Royal Family, any member of the Magic Council, or any member of the Ten Wizard Saints?"

Boze made a strange noise in the back of his throat as rolled his neck and straightened his back, "Dude, do I look like would enjoy being utterly destroyed by the powerful magic belonging to the Ten Wizard Saints, or permanently exiled/sent on some kind of suicide mission by the King of Fiore? I'd take being thrown into jail any day, even if I got a sentence which kept me locked away for years and was watched closely by Rune Knights and the Magic Council after my release. I mean going to jail would suck major brass balls, but it wouldn't be as bad as the other choices."

"I guess that makes sense - who'd want to be punished after pissing off one of the Ten Wizard Saints? Anyways, I'm going to get myself a drink. Gajeel, do you want one, you're the only one out of all of us who doesn't have a drink." Morgan stated, getting out of his seat and stretching out his back while a groan. Briefly glancing at Nightshade who gave him a creepy smile in response, Morgan turned his head back to Gajeel, waiting for his answer before he went.

"Hn, just some tropical juice with some ice." Gajeel grunted, eliciting a mocking snort from Boze and Nightshade. Gajeel cast scathing glares their way, promising to deliver pain to them. Augustus raised an eyebrow in curiosity but chose to keep quiet. Nightshade smiled mockingly, " _Just some tropical juice with some ice._ Ha, do you know how pathetic and meek you sounded when saying that? You didn't sound like the unshakeable Iron Dragon Slayer who purposely earned his reputation in Phantom Lord and brought his hot cousin to this subdivision."

"What's the matter, Lightweight, can't handle the alcohol? Boze snickered, cautious about the possibility of a sudden attack by Gajeel as Morgan left to get the tropical juice. The fourteen year old set his red eyes to pierce through Boze's glasses, "I got trashed earlier this week. Got so drunk that I had a horrible hangover. I'm not eager to go through that again and I ain't a fucking lightweight, I can handle my liquor. I'll show you proof of that another time, I drink you under the table, the floor, and the dirt."

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(Outside the Phantom Lord subdivision in Magnolia Town)

Standing outside the subdivision was a very tall, standing at a solid height of 6'4ft, and muscular young man with fair skin and stormy grey eyes; his bright blonde hair is slicked back, its numerous spiky strands pointing backwards, though some falls down in a small tuft on his forehead. He has an eye-catching lightning bolt-shaped scar on his right eye, and his eyes have dark circles surrounding them, with each of them possessing a single, prominent eyelash jutting outwards.

Over his ears were the recently released - available on the markets since the Christmas Eve of the previous year - "Sound Pod" model of Magic Headphones. He wore expensive-looking boots, a form-fitting black vest and a jacket with fur lining, and baggy red pants. Even though he was only eighteen, he was still able to muster a furious sneer as he glared at the building in front of him - electrical sparks violently snapping to life between his fingers in response to his anger.

 _'How dare Phantom Lord put their... their trash in this town as a method of intimidating Fairy Tail. Why is my grandfather alright with that the bastard, Jose, is doing to my guild? Why isn't he taking action, does he fear Jose Porla? Absolutely pathetic! This stain needs to be rubbed out - wiped off the geography of Magnolia Town. This is_ _why I became a S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail last summer - to carry out business in the best interests of my guild.'_ He thought, positively fuming and ignoring the nearby civilians who gave him a wide berth.

 _"And who was that chick who entered the building with the Black Steel of Phantom Lord?'_ An electrical bolt leapt from his body, angrily striking the ground and pulverising it. The eighteen year old had seen Gajeel and his 'cousin' enter the subdivision building. The arrival of the Iron Dragon Slayer had caused his rage and disgust towards Phantom Lord to increase, but his curiosity had been peaked by the woman he'd gone into the guild with. He didn't see much of her, but he'd seen more than enough thanks to her leggings.

Before he could decide to take action and start blowing shit up to blow off some pent up steam, the blonde haired S-Class Mage was suddenly aware that someone wasn't giving him a wide berth and was within his four metre 'personal space' zone. Pausing the rock music that blared from his Sound Pod Magic Headphones, he turned his head to see a thirteen year old kid staring at him - red eyes remaining unflinching even as a stray electrical bolt shot past his head.

Apparently the kid had a pair of _man_ -sized balls and then some, and the blonde wondered if the kid was an orphan, homeless, and a beggar. He was dressed in a mixture of normal clothes and robes that were showing evidence of being the only thing that the kid had worn in a long time. But the magic power that the kid possessed was insane and potentially suggested otherwise. Even though it was being partially suppressed by the kid, the part that Laxus could detect made him feel like he was drowning in a realm of darkness and shadows. Scratch that, the kid had magic power that reminded him of a little Fire Dragon Slayer he knew in Fairy Tail.

He furrowed his eyebrows as he stared down at the younger mage, "What do you want, an autograph? Well too bad for you, I don't have a pen. Scram, I've got something to take care of and it ain't gonna be a pretty sight for your eyes. Go on, hurry up and get out of here." Laxus scowled, wondering if the kid was deaf and only knew how to communicate with sign language which was something he didn't know how to do, or was purposefully ignoring him with the intention of making him angry.

The kid started to look rather uneasy as the magic power of the taller male spiked dramatically, a larger electrical bolt blasting and carving a trench in front of the subdivision no more than a second later. He growled, "I ain't gonna hurt you kid but you need to get lost... what the fuck are you still standing around for, are you waiting for somebody to arrive. At least answer me or something... fine, I'll start counting like we're playing some sort of goddamn game. 3, 2-"

An electrical bolt struck the ground at the boy's feet, prompting the quiet thirteen year old to hurriedly make his retreat. He surprised the S-Class Mage by dissolving into darkness, literally shifting his entire figure into a shadow and darted away, racing along the ground until he was out of sight. The eighteen year old smirked and let out a boisterous laugh, the technique reminding him of his own Lightning Body move.

Now then, back to business. He expected praise from his grandfather, eighty-three year old Makarov Dreyar, once he told him what he did.

* * *

(Back inside the Magnolia Town subdivision)

A comfortable silence, as comfortable as it can be with someone like Nightshade present, lingered over the five mages. Nightshade was taking a nap and - with Boze quietly encouraging him - Morgan was considering whether to draw silly designs on his face, while Gajeel was having a glass of tropical juice with Augustus who had his own glass of carrot juice. After his hangover the other day, Gajeel was taking the wise route and keeping away from the alcohol for a while. He didn't need a repeat of the same hangover.

The Iron Dragon Slayer gulped down half of his glass and looked at Augustus who set his carrot juice. Nightshade stirred in his midst of his nap, fully discouraging Morgan from drawing on his face. Morgan didn't the eighteen year old to wake up in the middle of a face-drawing session and subject him to several of his worst fears. Gajeel grunted, "Hey, Augustus, who would you rather take on in a fight - provided that you're allowed to have backup supporting you: Laxus Dreyar, Ur - that powerful ice mage, Makarov Dreyar, or Gildarts Clive?"

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 **A/N: And that's chapter 7 for you guys. Happy New Year everyone. Be sure to follow, favourite, and provide a review.**

 **A/N: I know Rogue's age shouldn't be what it is, but for the sake of my story, the age of him and Sting has been raised to fit what I want to do with the Shadow Dragon Slayer.**


	8. Chapter 8

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

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 **A/N to Guest: I know Rogue's age shouldn't be what it is, but for the sake of my story, the age of him and Sting has been raised to fit what I want to do with the Shadow Dragon Slayer. Wendy's age will remain the same though - that cute 12 year old and her sassy cat.**

 **To Lackadaisical Hero: Eh, just a minor change to history in this fic - again, all for the sake of my story. And besides, it's not like Hiro ever explained were Jiemma was prior to the pre-timeskip in canon and he's an elderly dude, other than training (beating) his daughter. Surely he couldn't have been an independent mage for +40 years, brooding his way across Fiore. Here, Sabretooth would've been established around X772, thus an unknown, like Mermaid Heel, compared to Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord by X784.**

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"All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity." - Friedrich Nietzsche

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Chapter 8.

Jose Porla was not in a good mood. He stormed past the Phantom Lord subdivision in Oak Town; heading towards the Headquarters Building that resided amongst the mountains behind the aforementioned town, his face purple with rage, steam practically coming out of his ears and nose, fists clenched so hard that his nails were painfully digging into the palms of his hands, and his entire body was tensed up so hard that one would think was constipated or he'd get a full-body cramp if he tensed any harder.

Makarov Dreyar had humiliated him once again, and Jose had yet again been reprimanded by his fellow Guild Masters for retaliating in 'inappropriate fashion'. Being riled up by that frustratingly snarky old man was one of the reasons why Jose hated attending the Annual Guild Master Meetings. The alcohol and banter was good, but once Makarov started on his drunken taunting and bragging, Jose would lose it and get verbally punished, even though the eighty-three year old had provoked him.

And damn that rickety old woman, Ooba Babasaama, for spinning around every time. It was bad enough being told off like a six year old child, but having to sit down to take a moment to regain his bearings and equilibrium and stop himself from vomiting because of extreme disorientation was the icing on the cake. Jose would rather be swatted multiple times like a fly by Makarov utilising his Giant, over being spun half a million times by a senile old woman, and that was saying something. His rivalry and disdain with Makarov was bordering on the boundary of one-sided hatred.

 _'Curse that long-lived bastard. Who does he think he is, getting obscenely drunk and humiliating me in front of the other Guild Masters. And damn Bob too - that flamboyant ex-Fairy. I hope something bad happens to Fairy Tail, or it does something so extreme that Yajima can't save it from the wrath of the Magic Council, so I can be there to watch it crash and burn.'_ Jose thought, grinning like a maniac who'd escaped from a mental asylum as his form was enveloped by an aura of dark purple magic power, causing a ghostly spirit of sorts to fly away before fading into nothingness.

* * *

(Inside the Phantom Lord subdivision - Magnolia Town)

"So, Huiqing, what's your background and how did you end up with your magic? Did you go sneaking off somewhere you shouldn't have, wandering away into a unexplored cave or desolate building that hasn't been used in thirty or so years?" Lorraine asked, smiling as she sat at another table with the subdivision master. Two half-empty glasses of strawberry and apple flavoured cider were set down in front of the two girls, and even though it had been quite a while since Lorraine had been shown the magic of the other woman, awe was still slightly present in her voice.

The eighteen year old shook her head, giving the blonde a mock glare and laughing at the cheeky assumption, "Actually, no, I enrolled and joined the AFAM - Academy For Aspiring Mages - when I was nine, the minimum age for enrolling being six and the maximum being fourteen, and studied there for four years, successfully graduating at thirteen with grades extremely close to the top students in my year and Fire Magic in my arsenal. I would've been there for five years, but they moved me up one year because I was understanding so much and was on par with the students in the year above me. When I was considering what guild I should join, and this was a couple of weeks after I'd graduated, I was approached by Gran Doma."

Lorraine frowned, taking a sip of her cider before replying, "Gran Doma? Hold on, isn't he the sixty year old Chairman of the Magic Council, and what had you done to gain his attention? Surely you weren't a troublemaker student if you graduated with grades close to that of the top students whom you'd been studying with?"

"Nope, nothing to do with being a troublemaker student. He, in commemoration of my academic excellence, apparently, gifted me with a book detailing a special Caster-Type Lost Magic: Arc of the Celestial Element. He had five books, each containing a form of magic for me to learn, and I chose one of them at random. I wouldn't have minded learning three of the other four choices: Arc of Space, a magic one step away from full-blown reality warping, Take Over, the God Soul branch which would've seen me contracted with Hela, the goddess of death, and Arc of the Chthonian Element - the opposite of the Celestial Element, I'd be fighting with nether instead of aether" Huiqing said, mentally replaying the memories of the Chairman giving her the book, and her finally managing to create a steady spherical-shaped ball of aether.

"He said that it was a rarity for him to pass books with Lost Magic to graduating students, so quite a lot students miss out on a special gift from Gran Doma and have to make do with what they learned in the Academy For Aspiring Mages. I later joined Phantom Lord when I was fourteen, and, after two painfully long years of exhausting trial and error, learned the Lost Magic at sixteen." She finished, and Lorraine looked particularly confused.

She finished off her cider, Huiqing doing the same as few seconds afterwards, "Academy For Aspiring Mages? To be honest with you, I've never heard of it. If I'd known about it, then I probably would've gone, although doing five years of studying - sitting at a table for however long the educational days are, listening to a teacher and doing exams - sounds absolutely _dreadful_. Where is the AFAM, and who was it founded by? I reckon it's been around for a long time, probably since the late 600s, right? I can't imagine it being founded before then with, you know, unfriendly tensions between ordinary people and mages."

Huiqing thought about the answer for a moment. She knew where the academy was located, and they'd learned about who founded the AFAM in their first year. Surely she couldn't have forgotten about the latter. She snapped her fingers, "I've got it, I just needed a moment to remember everything. The Academy For Aspiring Mages is located in Crocus, and it was founded by Mavis Vermillion - the First Guild Master of Fairy Tail - one and a half months after she'd founded her guild. It only began to properly flourish sometime during the reign of Precht Gaebolg: Second Guild Master."

"And I guess that the Academy For Aspiring Mages receives funding from the Magic Council? I doubt that Master Jose, economically involved as he may be, would be interested in funding a school." Lorraine said, getting a nod from Huiqing. The eighteen year old hummed and glanced at the group of guys, "Yeah, since Jose knows that many of his mages won't act as teachers - what his way of funding would be - the Magic Council funds it. Also, it looks like Gajeel is socialising a bit more. What do you think they're talking about?"

Lorraine raised one slim eyebrow, pursing her lips and turning in her seat to see what Huiqing was talking about. She thought Gajeel would've been with people closer to his age, but eighteen and nineteen year olds - like her - wasn't a problem. She smiled when she saw his glass of tropical juice, "I don't know, but I'm guessing boy things: what girls they're interested in, whether they can size each other up, and how tough they are and what's the toughest thing they've ever fought. Want to go over and find out?"

"Sure, I haven't talked to the boys in quite a while." Huiqing got up, making the movement seem effortlessly graceful, and began to head over to the group of boys once Lorraine had gotten out of her seat.

* * *

(Office of the Captain of 4th CEU, 2nd floor of Magic Council HQ, Town of Era)

Paperwork. This was what he did with his life after being promoted from a Sergeant of the Specialist Rune Knights - sort and sign paper - although he was still able to muster the Rune Knights under his command and lead them into battle, taking down a dark mage or two in the process. Still, now, it seemed like the latter was the rarity and paperwork took up 75% of his day. But he couldn't complain, nothing would get done and the recruits that kept appearing wouldn't get their equipment and armour if he didn't complete the necessary paperwork.

The person stuck behind the desk, ink pen in hand and about to approve of or deny the creation of a new Rune Knight division, was a young, fair-skinned, slim-built man who looked like he was still in his late-teenage years - somewhat giving him a pretty boy 'Bishōnen' look - and he was of average height, approximately 5'10ft, with long, tied up black hair; two sharp bangs frame his face and an unruly tuft covers his forehead, though his lavender eyes are visible behind the clear frames of his glasses.

His attire was that of a long, blue jacket with pink edges and strapped cuffs over a high-collared shirt bearings the Magic Council's signature ankh-like symbol. He also wears white pants held up by a simple leather belt, white gloves with light blue lining, a white cape held together by a gem-decorated buckle, and distinctive shoes which bore some sort of serpentine pattern on them. He may look like a physical pushover, but he was more than capable of giving many experienced mages who were of A-Class ranking a run for their money.

This man was Lahar, ex-Specialist Rune Knight, and the twenty-three year old Captain of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit and Council-associate. Lahar had been raised in Crocus and he joined the Rune Knights when he was eighteen - labelled as a prodigy after becoming the youngest person in the force to have the highest amount of captures, especially when going solo, and become the Captain of his respective unit. But Lahar didn't let his success get his head; remaining grounded and becoming dead set at completing his job with little room for error.

He signed the paper with his signature, giving the decision his approval, and set it into the second stack of completed paperwork. By the time Lahar was finished with his paperwork, assuming he didn't end up getting anymore during the day, he would have six stacks of completed paperwork. As fulfilling as his current job was, Lahar did miss the days when he was Sergeant of the Specialist Rune Knights - missing the thrill that came with encountering and taking down a dark mage.

Despite having being a focused and unshakeable Rune Knight in the past - a good example to those who possibly wanted to leave behind the boring civilian life, but not join a guild - Lahar had been a thrill seeeker and, when it was becoming clear that his superior was considering to have him in the leadership role, only grew out of that a couple of months before his twentieth birthday. As he reached for the next sheet of paper, this one asking for a budget increase which would be provided by Phantom Lord, the door to his office was unexpectedly slammed open.

Lahar straightened his back and set his writing utensil down, expecting to look up and see one of the Wizard Saints or one of the Magic Council members. Only they had the authority to enter his room without knocking, although he preferred the method of entry be anything but barging into his office like wild animal. He was instead met with the sight of a sweaty messenger boy.

The boy greedily inhaled oxygen; knees bent as he tried to catch his breath, and Lahar guessed he must've ran a considerable distance. The boy's legs were trembling, copious amounts of sweat was sliding down his face and making it shine slightly, and he generally looked like he was about to kneel over and die. Whatever he had to tell him better be worth looking like he was about to have a heart attack, and if it wasn't, then this messenger boy really needed to stop tiring himself out over a simple message.

Whilst the young man was busy recovering, the twenty-three year old picked up his ink pen, looked over the sheet of paper he'd been about to pick up, and then signed it off - giving his approval. Until the boy was ready to speak and deliver his message, Lahar would dismiss his presence for now - moving on and signing the third sheet, marking it with a rejection. He didn't have time to waste on watching messengers catch their breath.

"Captain!" After managing to get his breathing under control, the messenger boy quickly wiped his sweaty face with one hand and snapped to attention - standing stiff like a block of wood. Lahar crinkled his nose, the young man's sweaty odour invading his nostrils. He had seen many Rune Knights fight with intensity, but he'd never caught any of them smelling like this. Had the boy even managed to wash himself before starting his day? Lahar adjusted his glasses, giving the boy his undivided attention, "Report. What do you have for me, is it urgent?"

Lahar knew what the response to that question was when the boy faltered momentarily. He was tempted to dismiss him, order him to return with his message for another time, but the boy was already here. It would be cruel to make him run back from wherever he'd come from. The messenger's brown eyes dimmed slightly as he coughed and cleared his throat which sounded hoarse and dry, "I apologise for interrupting you, Captain. I've come to tell you that Lorraine Xanthine, the independent mage who used to operate in Habanera Town, has recently joined a guild: Phantom Lord. I understand that the Magic Council had assigned you to have your subordinates keep track of her during her stint as a mage who operated independently. Also... Fairy Tail's Salamander has destroyed part of a town again."

"I see. I'll call off the Rune Knights who were assigned to watch over her and check out whichever town that Salamander has partially destroyed now, sending the total cost of reparations to the Guild Master of Fairy Tail." The bespectacled man stated, dismissing the messenger who left his office with haste, shutting the door behind him. He got up and opened one of his windows so he could air out the room and get rid of the smell of sweat. Perhaps sending that thirteen year old brat to jail for a while, or showing him what careless use of magic did to various townspeople around Fiore for, would get him to stop being so reckless. But the proud eighty-three year old - who, in Lahar's humble opinion, should've retired from the magical life a long time ago - would have his head if he did the former. All the stress that came with managing a rambunctious guild surely couldn't be good for his heart, but perhaps Makarov intended to lead until he was one hundred and/or dropped dead from a heart attack.

With a wandering WMD like Gildarts Clive who unintentionally caused destruction wherever he went, a long-standing rivalry with Jose Porla, and a temperamental grandson like Laxus Dreyar, the Captain of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit wouldn't be surprised if he did.

* * *

(Magnolia Town, Fairy Tail Guild)

Makarov sighed, jumping up onto Fairy Tail's bar counter as he cracked open a bottle of classic tequila and poured a third of the contents into a glass. He was an extremely short, elderly man, with black eyes, and he was growing bald with only the outer rims of his head containing white hair. He also has a thick white mustache. He has a black stamp of the Fairy Tail guild mark that covers his entire chest area. On his first appearance, he was shown dressed in a casual manner, with an attire consisting of a white shirt with a black Fairy Tail stamp in the middle under an orange hoodie. His attire was completed with matching orange shorts and an orange and blue striped jester hat.

He'd just returned from Annual Guild Master Meeting, and yet again, Jose had tried to fight him during attendance. Asides from having a guild well-known for causing lots of damage to public and private property around Fiore, Makarov didn't know what Jose had against him? Was the forty-five year old pissed over the fact that he didn't have a Guild Ace as strong as Gildarts, granted that Erik Shepard was still considerably powerful in his right? Was he pissed over the fact that he didn't know what being in a romantic relationship felt like, or was he pissed that he didn't have a grandson as badass as his own?

Knowing that he'd probably never find out why Jose disliked him so much, the elderly Guild Master shrugged as he downed his glass of classic tequila and shuddered as the strong liquid slid down his throat. He glanced around at the members of his guild - his children. A young, teenage boy with black hair and another teenage boy of the same age and had pink hair, Gray Fullbuster and Natsu Dragneel, respectively, were arguing with each other. That was nothing new, they'd been arguing with each other from the moment they met, and he fully expected their argument to devolve into a physical scuffle.

Pouring himself another glass of classic tequila - Makarov fully intended to be drunk and somewhat paralytic before the evening came - he noted that his grandson's large magic power was absent from the guild. It slightly surprised him as, unless he had 'business' to attend to Laxus rarely left so early in the day. Swiftly downing the second glass of tequila, the Third Guild Master of Fairy Tail began 'singing' to himself - humming a song his father had taught to him about his godmother. He could only hope that his grandson was being responsible and not causing trouble that would result in the Magic Council giving him a headache.

* * *

(Back in the Magnolia Town subdivision)

Augustus considered his four options and none of them were good. One was the most powerful ice-mage to have lived in the Kingdom of Fiore and she was only dead due to suicide, the option that was the Fairy Tail's Guild Ace didn't need explaining as to why it was a bad choice, the third was the grandson of Laxus Dreyar who was unparalleled in his use of Lightning Magic, and the last was Makarov Dreyar, who despite being eighty-three years old, probably had dozens of tricks up his sleeves.

He didn't know much about Ur, but he assumed that she had the capability to turn all of Fiore into an icy wasteland if she was considered to be a potential Wizard Saint - mages who could only be beaten by another of equal strength. Although he was a S-Class Mage, Laxus was young, but his magic was fast, destructive, and deadly if used without caution. He gulped, looking pleadingly at Gajeel, "With aid and without, I'm still gonna get beaten into next year. Can I take the forfeit option?"

Boze snorted, covering his smirk with one hand, but Morgan gave him an understanding look. Gajeel's menacing glower told him everything he needed to know - there was a forfeit option, but he'd be designated as a pansy if he took it. The older male sighed, it seemed he was going for suicide-by-powerful-mage. He ran a hand through his hair and said, "Alright, I'm definitely not choosing Ur or Gildarts. I think I'll go for Makarov Dreyar - his Giant would make him a bigger, easier target. If I distracted him, then Huiqing could probably take him down."

The Iron Dragon Slayer grunted and gulped down some of his tropical juice. "Hn, I see the point you're making, but I'd go for Laxus Dreyar. My attacks wouldn't do much against the increased bulk of Makarov, ice and immense cold don't mix well with a lot of metals, and Gildarts is just an absolute monster. Against the likes of Laxus, assuming he hasn't already driven my mug into the ground, I could nullify some of his attacks by using my iron clubs as lightning rods."

"Whoa, a form of strategy from Gajeel. Who would've ever forseen that such ingenuity belonged to our ruthless little iron lizard." Morgan commented with a teasing grin, having decided against drawing on Nightshade's face, much to Boze's dismay. The raven-haired Phantom Lord mage just loudly scoffed in response, "I'd watch what comes out of your mouth - I can be slow on the uptake, I'll admit that, and I'm more of a 'come up with plans on the fly' kind of guy."

"Come up with plans on the fly kind of guy. Hey, Gajeel, that rhymed. I can barely think up of proper rhymes, at least ones that don't sound stupid and horribly overused, and yet you just spat one out just like that. Seems you'd have more success with what I'd want to do if I left Phantom Lord and became a rapper/DJ." Boze stated. Gajeel responded with a lazy shrug, showing that he didn't paticularly care about his unintentional rhyme.

"Whatever, but I guess that means you need to up your A-game." The scarlet eyed mage replied, getting a sigh from Boze. Nightshade nearly slipped out of his seat, requiring Augustus to catch him, gently as to not startle and jolt him awake, and adjust his position so he wouldn't fall and would be more or less comfortable if he woke up. Nothing was worse than waking up with a stiff neck or what felt like a full-body cramp.

"Hey, Huiqing and Lorraine are coming over. I think the two of them are gonna ask us about stuff - like what we were talking about." Morgan said, slightly tilting his head up. Gajeel glanced in the direction that the other male was looking in, and just as he'd said, the two females were heading over towards them. He narrowed his eyes as he felt as spike of magic power through the magic dampening walls, the feeling causing the hairs on his arms to stand straight up.

Huiqing paused in her step, noticing it just as quickly. A split-second later, the front doors and the walls surrounding said doors exploded, the deafening noise sounding like something between a thunderclap and a major electrical explosion. Nightshade was startled awake by the noise, leaping out of his seat, only to get struck in the torso by a pair of powerful electrical bolts which flew between the heads of Lorraine and Huiqing - the former flinching in surprise. Nightshade was launched off his feet, clearly unconscious as he flew through the wall behind him.

As soon as Nightshade was taken out of the picture, a painfully high-pitched whistle began to ring throughout the guild, courtesy of Boze who took an electrically charged fist to the chest for his troubles - the assailant speeding over to him whilst enveloped in a bright yellow aura of electricity that was difficult to look at - potentially cracking his sternum, fracturing several of his ribs, and knocking him on his ass, incapacitating him. His body twitched as residual electricity crackled all over his barely conscious form.

"What the hell?" As Morgan and Augustus jumped away from the attacker, Lorraine summoned a recurve bow. Although the nineteen year old was able to nock an arrow, she didn't even get a chance to take aim and release the bowstring. A bolt of electricity struck her in the chest and she went down like a sack of potatoes, Gajeel preventing further injury to the unconscious blonde by catching her before her head could hit the floor. Their attacker, a furious Laxus Dreyar, leered menacingly as he watched Huiqing, Gajeel, Augustus, and Morgan carry the incapacitated trio and back away from him - other mages in the subdivision scrambling to get ready for a fight.

As Laxus stood tall with his fists clenched and eyes glaring murder at them, the Iron Dragon Slayer lay his team partner on the ground. Huiqing shared a long glare with Laxus, the latter emphasising his rage with a stray electrical bolt which blew a hole through the roof. Setting Boze down, Morgan pressed his fingers against Lorraine's neck, feeling around her throat for a pulse. Electricity produced by magic was more dangerous than normal electricity and lightning; fatal electric shocks being much more likely, even if unintentional.

"Cardiac arrhythmia - irregular heartbeat." As the subdivision master and the S-Class Mage stared each other down, Morgan raised a clenched fist. He waited for a moment, thumped his fist into Lorraine's chest, and then pressed his fingers against her neck to recheck her pulse.

He relaxed slightly and looked up at Gajeel, "Fortunately, that has put her heartbeat back to normal. Gajeel, take her and wait for us outside the subdivision. We should be able to deal with him, although Laxus is known for being an absolute monster, so maybe not... Don't argue, I doubt you want your partner to be left exposed to potential crossfire, and don't come back in after you're outside with her. Stay with her, we don't need some opportunistic jackass running off with one of our mages."

"Tch, fine. But if you guys haven't come out of there within thirty minutes, then I'm coming back in. Can't believe you've gotten me to back out of a fight, especially one where the opposition is the self-proclaimed Thunder King of Fairy Tail." Gajeel grumbled, glaring at nothing in particular as he slung the blonde over his shoulder, brushed past several of the others mages, and retreated out of the guild. He'd clearly wanted to stay and fight, even if the end result was his defeat. Gajeel was weird like that - sometimes he knew which battles he should stay out of, but other times he ignored what he knew and wanted to fight.

Already feeling confident about an overwhelming victory, Laxus' mouth curled up into a half-smile, half-sneer, "Fleeing with your tail between your legs? Wise choice, but it seems the lot of you have nothing between your ears. If you were smart, you'd already be running marathons and begging for mercy. I'm only interested in your subdivision master - you're going to deliver a message to Jose Porla, a direct threat from me."

"A 'direct threat?' Is this simple dick-waving from one man to another, and who do you think you are? I'm not delivering any kind of message, do I look like an errand girl to you?" Huiqing replied calmly, waving a hand to silence Laxus before could reply to the rhetorical question, "Your status as an S-Class Mage has gone straight to your head, and an incident like this could spark a war between our guilds. So I'm going to ask you this, and you are going to give me a straight answer: What is the reasoning behind this? You've only recently become S-Class, and something like this could make you lose it just as easily. You are being brash and foolish."

Makarov's grandson glowered at her, "Because of the damned influence that Phantom Lord has over Fairy Tail by placing a subdivision in the same town, and that fact that my old man is doing jack-shit about it. Fairy Tail used to be the pride of Fiore - the number one guild. People admired, respected, and feared us. Now Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail are _competing_ for the number one spot. You never used to be anywhere close to us, and now your influence over us will continue no longer and I swear you this, when I become the Guild Master of Fairy Tail, your mages will know what it's like to be pushed into a corner. The fact that my old man is compliant with what Jose is doing is a joke."

"I'm speechless." Augustus deadpanned, "I feel like I'm in the plot of a book and the summary is something like this: country has been repressed by another for too long. Resistance movement has risen, but no action as been taken due to fear of retaliation. Only one man, brave but recklessly cocksure, can make a difference and kick-start a revolution."

"He's a nutcase. Something like this won't get you any gold stars from Makarov. I don't know him, but as a man who definitely wouldn't approve of something like this, he'll be severely disappointed." Morgan spoke up, a bead of sweat sliding down his forehead as Laxus sent a glare his way - his eyes briefly narrowing as he focused on something past him. A couple of fireballs sailed past Morgan's head and Laxus immediately retaliated, shooting over to the terrified mage who'd cast the attack.

Augustus, Huiqing, and Morgan turned in time to see the shaky attacker get his head driven into the floor and stomped on by Laxus for good measure. Many others, startled by the unexpected and ruthless takedown, quickly moved to engage the eighteen year old. Before Huiqing could order all of them to back away, an electrical pulse erupted from Laxus's body and incapacitated dozens of Phantom Lord mages, leaving many adults and teenagers twitching erratically on the floor.

"Weak!" Laxus bellowed, flinging an electrical bolt at Augustus and scowling dangerously when it was backhanded away by Huiqing who had aether enveloping her hands, "This is why I became a S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail last summer - I couldn't care less about what the pathetic old man is going to think about this - to carry out business in the best interests of my guild. He submits to another Guild Master and gleefully welcomes the weak with open arms. That won't be continuing when I become Guild Master. Only the strong, those powerful enough to give the likes of myself and Gildarts a fight, will be accepted into _MY_ guild. And I, as Fairy Tail's Fourth Master, won't be some kind of pushover. Fairy Tail's enemies will know who I am."

Huiqing could only adopted a bewildered expression in response. How could he think that Makarov would even want him as Guild Master, especially since there were more capable and mentally sound (she had no doubts that Laxus had a 'screw' or two loose in that head of his, and that Makarov probably knew about his ) candidates. Macao Conbolt, despite not being anywhere near as powerful as Laxus, and Gildarts Clive who would probably take the position to stop Laxus from getting the position. Jose might not be mentally stable, but he was doing good with his job. Laxus wouldn't be any good - just a arrogant and ruthless dictator who was masquerading around as a Guild Master, and the Magic Council would most likely remove him from his position as quickly as possible.

"What, cat got your tongue?" Laxus chuckled, amused at her lack of verbal response.

Huiqing glanced at Morgan and Augustus and let the aether around her hands dissipate, "This isn't a fight worth continuing, nothing good will come from it. I hope you take pride in your victory, Laxus Dreyar. Karma will soon come to bite you in the back. This subdivision is officially shut down, I'm not going to order repairs and risk you coming back to flaunt the superiority of the 'upcoming' Fairy Tail. Morgan, Augustus, let's get these mages out of here - sort who's going to which place."

"That's what I thought. You've seen the man who will emerge from the shadow of his old man and had a taste of the upcoming Fairy Tail. Remember it - people will soon know me for who I am, not who I am in regards to my old man." Laxus told them. He enveloped his body in electricity and sped out of the guild, leaving behind dozens of groaning mages.

Morgan helped Boze up; the latter grunting as pain shot through his chest. He didn't have too much difficulty with breathing, so he guessed that the dark-skinned man hadn't punctured or damaged a lung. He did take quite a hit from Laxus after all.

As Huiqing and Augustus went around, checking on injured mages to make sure they hadn't been injured too badly, Gajeel re-entered the building - his hair standing upright, making him look like an undergrown cactus that had tar poured over the top of it - and set Lorraine down on a table. He walked over to Huiqing, furiously patting his hair down when his ears picked up several people snickering at him, "What, you just let him go? Are you kidding me, I thought you would've dealt with him."

"It was a fight that wouldn't benefit either party." Huiqing told him, checking out a mage who had an angry lightning bolt scar stretching across his forearm, "Laxus is determined, but Makarov wouldn't want him to do this. He's taken action into his own hands. We're going to leave this subdivision behind; a spoil of war for Laxus, but Jose definitely won't be happy once he hears of this. Let Laxus have his way for now, his comeuppance will come sooner or later. Anyway, the mages here will be relocated to the other subdivisions around Fiore... there are some fights not worth partaking in."

"Tch, you're too soft." Gajeel grunted, walking over to the wall Nightshade had thrown through and bringing him over, unceremoniously dumping him onto a table. He was jolted awake, groaning as he did so. The Iron Dragon Slayer ignored him, heaving the unconscious Lorraine over his shoulder, "I'm headed back with Lorraine to the subdivision in Oak Town. Where are you guys going to go? As Huiqing said, you'll have to relocate somewhere else."

Boze held a hand against his ribs and winced as pain flared up through his torso, "I'll be going with you to the subdivision in Oak Town."

Augustus and Morgan shared a short whispered conversation and then turned to the others, the latter speaking, "We'll be going to the subdivision at Akane Beach.

"I'll depart for the one that's near Quarto Cerberus." Nightshade commented, scrunching up his face as he rolled his tongue around his mouth, trying to get rid of the numbness that made it feel unnaturally huge.

Huiqing looked around the partially ruined guild and shifted her weight from one leg to the other, "I'll be going to the subdivision in Crocus. I'm probably going to stay there, but I'll go to the subdivision in Oak Town if I don't. Now, you guys can go, I'm going to help the others decide where they want to go."

* * *

 **A/N: Yay, the beginning of 'Fairy Tail will be mine, purge the weak, etc etc etc' Laxus. Be sure to follow, favourite, and review - it motivates me.**

 **Also, I know my fight scenes aren't very good (probably), but please bare with me.**


	9. Chapter 9

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

* * *

 **A/N reply to Mathew5641: Thank you. I thought a story with an OC joining a different guild would be more interesting - I was even thinking of the setting being in one of the other continents - since as we all know, the OC joining Fairy Tail is a cliché that has been done to death. Come on people, give some love to Quatro Cerberus, Lamia Scale, Sabretooth, Phantom Lord, and Mermaid Heel. Heck, even Raven Tail.**

* * *

"The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them in parliament." - Vladimir Lenin

* * *

Chapter 9.

Gajeel scowled at everything and anything that moved within his visual range as he and Boze trudged along the forest path that would take them back to Oak Town; the latter gingerly rubbing his chest. Missing out on a chance to fight Laxus had really spoiled his mood, and now he had to carry Lorraine on his back until she woke up. The nineteen year old wasn't exactly heavy; being rather lean with muscle, especially in her upper body, meant that she wasn't light either - and carrying her in was fireman's carry was somewhat difficult due to the difference in their height. He had to increase his height, using multiple iron rods which protruded from his feet by a couple of inches, to make it easier from him.

But that was to be expected, and Gajeel had no doubt that Lorraine could focus and stay still for long periods. Archers had to if they wanted to hit anything. The slightest movement after drawing the bow string - unless the intention was to lead the target, could result in a miss of epic proportions, the arms had to be sufficiently toned to be able to pull back on a bow string, and the scapula muscles in the back had to developed enough to take the strain of doing so.

He glanced at Boze. The man was as thin as a stick, at least compared to the likes of himself, Totomaru, and Master Jose, and his magic was seemingly useless; it had done nothing to stop Laxus from rampaging through the subdivision, although Gajeel knew that Boze could incapacitate him with little effort, all thanks to his heightened sense of hearing which made him particularly vulnerable to loud noises - the screeching of train stopping at a station being his worst nightmare.

"Oi, Boze, what's up with your magic? You could've stopped that blonde prick in his tracks. Is your control as shit as Gildarts' control over his Crash, and asides from deafening people, what others uses does it have?" Gajeel inquired, glancing at the dark-skinned man. Boze rubbed his head in embarrassment. dragging his hand from his forehead to the back of his head, "My magic isn't an instantaneous thing - it takes a couple of seconds to get to the pitch and frequency that I want."

As he glanced around at the forest to avoid the intimidation effect that Gajeel's red eyes had, Boze could've sworn that he heard footsteps over his and Gajeel's own. Deciding to ignore it for as now, for they could handle whichever punk was going to try and jump them from behind, he continued his explanation, "I can emit ultrasonic sound waves to cause nausea of varying intensity, tinnitus if the ear is damaged enough, psychological problems from persistent exposure to noise, and if directed deep into the inner ear, great pain, disorientation, and vertigo. Through physical contact, I can even transmit sound waves through the water in the body and cause life-threatening internal injuries."

A smirk stretched across Gajeel's face. That sounded badass; more than he expected from something like Sound Magic, but it probably wasn't a match for him. All he had to do was plug his ears with metal earplugs, ensure that he kept his distance from the smug-sounding bastard, and persistently attack from mid-to-long range. But Boze wasn't done 'bragging' about his magic, "And in the event that I found myself in the dark with no source of light, or ended up blind, I could use my Sound Magic to perform echolocation. Dolphins are known to employ this trick. Click, click, motherfucker."

The Iron Dragon Slayer snorted; mouth twitching as he held back a smile. His red eyes narrowed as he thought back to Laxus' sudden intrusion, "Still can't believe that dumbass, even if was stronger than most of the people in the subdivision, had the balls to defy Master Makarov and attack a large group of Phantom mages. Like I said; though she ran the place well, Huiqing was too soft. She should've trashed him and sent him back to his grandfather, alive, but in a _really_ tight body bag. Do you have any idea what that prick was planning? You were still inside when I got sent out, and surely Laxus must've said something. He's a brash, boastful type... kinda like me, gihihihihihi."

"Man, that laugh of yours is creepy as shit. From what Laxus said, I understood that he wanted to become Guild Master so he could restore Fairy Tail to its former glory, and his tone of voice suggested that he was going to plan a coup d'état and forcibly remove his grandfather from power." Boze said, rubbing where the S-Class Mage had struck him in the chest, "He wants a guild where only the strong; powerful enough to give him a decent fight, will be allowed into his guild, and where he - as Guild Master - won't submit to anyone. I feel like we should warn Fairy Tail, but I think it'll be funnier if we let them find out by themselves in due time."

"Gihihihihihi, that's cruel, but I like it. Asides from getting strong enough to be Makarov in combat, how would he even manage to carry out a coup? He definitely ain't getting other Fairy Tail mages to side with him - power-of-friendship and all that bullshit." Gajeel stated, his mouth curling slightly in disgust. There was nothing wrong with having and looking out for your friends, but emphasizing it to the point where you'd practically made an unshakeable 'cult following' around the idea was just really, _really_ sad. Did they spout stuff about friendship when a serial killer was about to, prior to dancing around in their strung up entrails, carve holes into their face, throat, torso, and abdomen.

Boze adjusted his glasses, huffing when he only just noticed that the lens over his left eye had been damaged and would need replacing. "Yeah, all of them believe that power-of-friendship bullshit, but some of them could be disillusioned and persuaded to join Laxus' cause. To further aid his cause, he could even hire mercenaries who use magic, and he uses Lightning Magic. He could increase his magical reserves and develop a powerful technique - Thunder Palace. I've read a few books of Lightning Magic and that technique is insane, but it's probably banned by the Magic Council - not that such a thing would stop Laxus from developing, mastering, and using it."

"Thunder Palace? I haven't even seen the thing in action and yet it already sounds like something that is massively overkill - not that I'm any better, gihihihihi, Iron Dragon Slayer is already overkill in itself, and to an extent, so is Sound Magic." Gajeel said, smirking when he heard Boze hum in agreement. Suddenly, he had a 'light bulb' moment, "We might find this out someday, but there's probably an equivalent of Thunder Palace for the other primary four elements. Lightning Magic may be powerful and all - urgh, I can't believe I just said that - but that would put the others at an unfair disadvantage... Oi, stop staring at me like that! I'm tryin' to think here and you ain't helping!"

"Staring at you? I'm not staring at you; glancing at someone for a couple of seconds does not constitute as staring. You're the one who is always staring, well, leering and glaring at people with those red eyes of yours." Boze stated, briefly wincing in pain, and his brain told him to run when the fourteen year olds red eyes flashed with irritation, "But, and this is in response to your theory, you might be right: Hurricane Palace for Wind Magic, Earthquake Palace for Earth Magic, Tsunami Palace for Water Magic, and Inferno Palace for Fire Magic. Heck, it might be applicable for other magic. Audio Palace for my Sound Magic."

Gajeel scoffed, imagining a surrounded, unfortunate guild being blasted apart by the sound emitted by dozens upon dozens of speakers. "Yeah, good luck with that, you'd probably only end up deafening yourself before you even got the opportunity to test the technique on someone else, gihihihihi. Unless you manage to find a way that will stop you from blasting your eardrums apart with a failed test with your 'Audio Palace' - that thing really needs a better name - you'd be better off finding your way around a dark cavern with echolocation. I'm not even gonna consider the possibility for myself, behold and tremble before my Iron Palace, gihihihihihi."

"Yeah, Iron Palace doesn't have a nice ring to it. And what would the technique even do, shoot massive barrages of your Iron Dragon's Roar at people. That sounds cool as a thought, but would look stupidly ridiculous in reality - massive tornadoes of iron shooting towards the ground, mercilessly shredding anything that gets struck." Boze stated, noting that he could still hear someone following them. A quick glance at Gajeel's ear, which was twitching almost imperceptibly, indicated to him that Gajeel could also hear the footsteps. The dark-skinned man snorted - why wouldn't Gajeel hear the footsteps? He had the hearing capability that rivaled cats and dogs.

Sharing a quick nod with the raven-haired teen, silently sharing a message of _'keep walking and act like you haven't heard whoever is following us. They'll be in for a nasty surprise.'_ As Boze took his glasses off and wiped the intact lens, freeing it from any dust and dirt that may've accumulated, Gajeel sent him a smirk in response. Even with an unconscious Lorraine on his back, Gajeel was 100% ready to knock out the teeth off whichever bastard was following them. One did not stalk a Phantom Lord mage, especially for long period of time - he'd heard the consistent footsteps since they'd left Magnolia Town - and expect to get away without some form of 'appropriate' punishment.

"Hey, Gajeel, do you think we should warn Fairy Tail about what Laxus might be trying to do?" Boze inquired. The Iron Dragon Slayer turned to him, raising a non-existent eyebrow. After taking a moment to think over his response, he shrugged, making sure he didn't shift Lorraine too much with the movement. He snorted, "Nah, we'll just tell Master Jose. After that, it's up to Jose. Telling Fairy Tail would take the fun out of it, they would never expect something like that to happen. Although given what has happened, The Rune Knights and the Magic Council might get involved; assigning various individuals to monitor Laxus Dreyar and Phantom Lord mages who were in that subdivision. Tch, that's gonna take out some of the fun, but who's really going to expect Makarov's _beloved grandson_ to stage a coup."

"Wow, that's a cruel idea, but I-" Almost missing the slight rise in her magic power, Gajeel cut off Boze when he nearly tripped as Lorraine shifted on his back. As she turned her head slightly, he stopped so she could regain her bearings, although that didn't mean much when you found yourself in the middle of a forest. Looking over at Boze who smirked at her, she looked down at the male who had the (un)fortune of having to carry her. Unable to resist, she raised one hand and gave Gajeel a noogie, eliciting an annoyed growl from him, "Aww, that's sweet, you carried me from... wherever. Ugh, I'm tired, and why does my mouth taste like a combination of zinc, rusted iron, and battery acid... not saying from experience, just a guess of what they'd probably taste like..."

"That's because you got knocked the fuck out by Laxus Dreyar, grandson of Makarov Dreyar. You summoned one of your bows, but he struck you with his Lightning Magic before you could do anything. I dragged you out of the crossfire." Gajeel told her, holding back a snicker. He could feel part of her pride as a mage slip away. Next to his ear, he heard her mumble, "That's so embarrassing. My first encounter with a proper mage, barring Totomaru and you trying to hit my in the face, and I get taken out of the game so quickly. Although I guess that's a lesson in combat and was to be expected. Seems like I'm gonna have to work on my quick-draw skills. And who are you? We might've met, but I'm too tired to remember."

Boze blinked, quickly realizing that she was definitely talking to him. She'd come to the subdivision with Gajeel; it'd be pretty odd if they hadn't introduced each other already. He cleared his throat, "I'm Boze, no surname, just Boze. I was in the Magnolia Town subdivision, but it's being shut down after Laxus decided to barge in and interrupt out fun, and now I'm coming with you guys to the subdivision in Oak Town. I use Sound Magic, and there's no need to introduce yourself, I already know who you are. Lorraine Xanthine, Gajeel's cousin and teammate. He told me, and a few other friends, that you're new to this mage business. And there's no need to be embarrassed because Laxus knocked you out. He put me on my ass, even though I've had more experience that you, and I don't feel ashamed about it."

"Right, Boze, nice to meet you. I looked over at you guys when you were all sitting together, who was that cocky-looking dude with the butch-cut hair? I caught him checking me out. There's nothing wrong with that, but it was the way he was eyeing me. I wanted to put an arrow between his legs." Lorraine said, holding back a laugh when Boze visibly cringed. Gajeel grunted, "That was Nightshade. He uses magic that exploits your nightmares and fears. He's a real creep. He got laid last year, I think, and he's probably gone through dozens of girls and escorts. He's a... what's the term: sex addict? Yeah, he was even about to describe how he'd, urgh, get sexually intimate with you. I'm fucking fourteen, I might be going through puberty, but I don't need to hear that shit. Anyway, moving on, what did you think of Huiqing?"

Lorraine hummed as she thought about the subdivision master. She smiled, "I think her history was pretty cool. She enrolled in the Academy For Aspiring Mages at nine, graduated at thirteen with Fire Magic, and received a book from Chairman Gran Doma. And from that book, she learned the magic that I saw upon meeting her: Arc of the Celestial Element, and joined Phantom Lord when she was fourteen. I also think she was nice person, really sweet and easy to talk to. Huiqing was also pretty, well... beautiful. She's the sort that I could see posing for the Sorcerer Magazine. And I, uh, I'm gonna go back to sleep. Wake me up when we've gotten back to the subdivision in Oak Town. Also, that Nightshade, the next time I see him again, I'm shooting arrows through his knees."

And with that, she dozed off and a disappointed a hopeful Gajeel. He been hoping that he wouldn't have to carry her anymore. When they heard a footstep behind them, Gajeel and Boze whipped around, ready to face whoever had been following them. They both blinked in surprise. The person following them had been a skinny thirteen year old. He was dressed in a mixture of normal clothes and robes that were beginning to show signs of wear-and-ear, possessed an abnormally large amount of magic power for his age - although it would be hypocritical for Gajeel to call him out about it - stood at 5'3ft or 5'4ft, had raven hair like Gajeel and eyes that were the same shade of menacing red.

"It's just a kid. I mean you're a kid, but he actually looks like a kid. I thought it was gonna be someone stupid adult who saw an opportunity, but no, it's just a little brat who's been following us since we left Magnolia Town. Not saying that you're a brat either." Boze said, glancing at Gajeel. They'd both been excited at the opportunity to fight someone on their way back to Oak Town, Gajeel more so than Boze, since the latter was still nursing his injury. Despite the abnormal amount of magic power that the kid possessed, which suggested that he had considerable fighting experience, they both wondered if the kid was some sort of beggar. It wouldn't be a cruel assumption as the thirteen year old, who had yet to say anything, looked like he desperately needed a change of clothes.

Gajeel ignored the dark-skinned man and stalked forwards, prompting the younger boy to edge back a few steps. Despite having someone on his back, and thus looking rather awkward, the Iron Dragon Slayer was still an intimidating sight. He wondered if it was because of his wild hair; people tended to assume that was he some sort of sociopath with zero social skills and empathy. Gajeel had both of those, but most things tended to not surprise him, his magic was rather brutal so graphic injury was a common sight, and most people simply weren't worth talking to - Lorraine being an example of some being worth talking to, she didn't shrink away when he snarked at her and she could return it just as good.

"Maybe he's thirsty. He looks like a hasn't had a drink, much less a proper meal, in ages. I mean he doesn't look emaciated, but the kid probably doesn't get much to get. He probably has to resort to stealing food and not getting caught. I'd give him water if I had some, although there might be a river nearby. I've never actually gone into the woods, so I don't know if there is one, and you probably haven't either." Boze stated. He had a few of those tablets that purified dirty water, but when taking in the amount of magic power that this kid had, he probably wouldn't even need them. Poison affected everybody, but individuals with large amounts of magic power could use it to be more resistant to disease, and parasites to some extent. Although nobody would risk contracting ringworm or whichever parasite resided in the intestines by consuming unclean water.

As he stepped forwards again to confront the kid, Gajeel narrowed his red eyes and unintentionally flared his magic power. "Oi, are you mute, do you want something? I'm talking to-" He was cut by something he didn't expect. Apparently shaken by the flare in his magic power, the thirteen year old turned around as if he was going to run away, but melted and sunk into his own shadow. As Boze muttered something under his breath, Gajeel jumped back in surprise and watched as the shadow retreated, slinking away into the forest. Before the kid/shadow went out of range, it felt like he was still present, but not present at the same time.

"Wow, you really need to work on your social skills. What if the kid was mute, were you gonna shake or beat him to death if he didn't speak?" Gajeel huffed in response to the question as they continued walking back to Oak Town, he was still pissy over the fact that he missed out on a chance to fight one of the strongest mages in Fairy Tail and two, because his really strong friend, who was also master of the dissolved subdivision, had let Laxus go with what was essentially a mere warning. That older punk should've been made to gravely regret his decision and be sent back to his grandfather - with a few moderate injuries here and there - grovelling and crying at his feet.

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(A short while later - Oak Town subdivision building)

Totomaru was sat at a table with Emilia and Sue, fresh ciders sitting on the smooth wood that he had one of his elbows on. The girls were talking about girly things - something that surprised him, since Sue wasn't a girly-girl, but Lorraine took that factor and dialled it up a little more - and his glass was half-full. Leaving the two girls to their own devices yet remaining where he was, Totomaru took a look around the building. Sol and Boze were sat together, and as usual, the latter randomly burst into tears which prompted a surprised Sol to start fretting over him. On another table was Erik Shepard, Guild Ace of Phantom Lord.

Erik was a thirty-four year old man and a big guy (for you) with an imposing stature; standing at 6'2ft, a couple of inches shorter than Gildarts Clive. He had lightly tanned skin, dark hair set in a flattop hairstyle, bright green eyes, and he wore belted jeans, heavy buckled boots, and a sleeveless vest underneath a plain blazer. He sat alone; kept to himself like Gajeel, but the chances of him interacting with someone were smaller than the chances of Gajeel giving multiple people a compliment. He also used, as his primary form of magic, Zero-Point Energy Magic - allowing him to instantly freeze people in place with little to no chance of escape, at least without external help.

The twenty year old wondered how Gajeel and Lorraine were doing at the Phantom Lord subdivision in Oak Town. Lorraine had probably challenged someone to a shooting contest of five rounds to see who was the superior marksman, or even made a friend in the master of that subdivision, while Gajeel - knowing him - had probably gotten into a fight with someone. He wouldn't be surprised if the Iron Dragon Slayer had decided to leave the Magnolia Town subdivision and pick a fight with someone from Fairy Tail. He was troublesome like that. When Totomaru had shown him around the various subdivisions in Fiore, Gajeel had been brash enough to try and pick fights with mages from Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Titan Nose, and Quatro Cerberus.

He looked up as he heard the doors of the building open up. A dark-skinned man, Totomaru believed his name was Boze, and Gajeel walked through with Lorraine, unconscious, 'piggy-backing' on the latter's back. Behind him, he heard Emilia shoot out of her seat. As Boze looked around for a moment and then headed past him to Sue, Totomaru and Emilia darted over to Gajeel and Lorraine, the guild's medic immediately fussing over the both of them, much to the annoyance of Gajeel. Emilia looked over the burnt hole in Lorraine's upper attire and the flesh of her torso which appeared to have major first degree burns. "What happened to her? How badly hurt is she? Are you hurt at all?"

"I'm fine, woman." Gajeel grumbled, edging away from Emilia and her endlessly prying hands as she persisted to fret over him and the young woman on his back. He shifted Lorraine on his back, making himself more comfortable, "She took an attack, Lightning Magic from Laxus Dreyar, to the chest. It knocked her unconscious for a while, but she briefly woke up. She's asleep because I told her to get some more rest. Other than that, and briefly being subjected to an irregular heartbeat which was corrected by someone soon after it was diagnosed, she's absolutely fine. It's nothing that a little bit of sleep won't be able to take care of. There's no need for you to heal her, it's not like she had a near fatal electric shock or heart attack."

"Laxus Dreyar? Asides from the factor of Lightning Magic, something he's well known for using and practically qualifies as fatal electric shocks in itself, how does he fit into this? Did she try to pick a fight with him? Please, don't tell me she challenged him?" Totomaru questioned, himself and Emilia following Gajeel as he approached the girls dorms. A disgruntled expression appeared on the fourteen year olds face, "He literally barged into the subdivision and took down a few guys. After he knocked Boze on his ass, Lorraine went to shoot him, but he was faster and immediately took her out. Laxus was angry about Phantom Lord's influence over his guild. Huiqing chose not to fight him; shutting down the subdivision instead, and so the mages had to travel to other subdivisions in Fiore. She went to the subdivision in Crocus."

"We're gonna have to tell Master Jose about this. He won't be happy." Totomaru said as Gajeel opened the door which led to the girls dorms and stood next to Lorraine's room. Stunned by what she'd been told; Totomaru equally so, Emilia took out a spare key to her room and opened it. They all entered and Totomaru took in her residence - spacious but plain, clearly Lorraine hadn't gotten around to decorating. On the other hand, Gajeel yanked off the cover of Lorraine's bed. He set her down, as gently as possible for someone un-gentle as him, and pulled the bedsheet over her. Emilia, curious to see if the nineteen year old had anything interesting, decided to take a peek into her wardrobe.

"Oh my... how sexy and kinky. Toto, have a look at this? This might've already been in here, or Lorraine purchased it herself, but could you imagine her wearing this?" Almost letting out some giggles, Emilia pulled out a set of lingerie from the wardrobe. As his face burned and turned red, the S-Class Mage covered his nose and almost choked, Gajeel following suit when he looked up to see what Emilia was so excited about. It was a bra and panties, coloured black, with lots of straps, and they'd been designed with holes in the primary garments, meaning that they essentially hid nothing.

"NO, what the fuck is that!? I'd rather not, thank you very much." Gajeel exclaimed, vigorously shaking his head in disbelief. He hoped that the... skimpy attire had already been in the wardrobe and hadn't been brought by his teammate, otherwise he wouldn't be able to look at Lorraine the same way again. Deciding to play around with the two flustered and embarrassed mages a little longer, Emilia held up the clothing to her own body, smiling mischievously and raising her eyebrows in her manner that said: 'Or, instead, imagine if I was wearing it.'

Gajeel nearly fainted right there and then, looking like he was about to have a seizure and go into cardiac arrest at the same time. Totomaru, almost hyperventilating and unable to take the teasing and the onslaught of mental images that were Lorraine in lingerie from flooding their way into his head, snatched the clothing away from Emilia and coughed. He was tempted to burn the skimpy attire, but didn't want to suffer Lorraine's wrath in the unlikely event that she'd actually brought it, so he simply stuffed it back into her wardrobe and slammed the doors shut.

"Please, Master Jose, strike me down. Anything to get rid of the images in my head." Totomaru moaned in despair, despite the huge blush on his face, prompting a giggle to slip past Emilia's lips at his flustered antics. She pulled them out of Lorraine's room, shutting and locking the door behind her, and smiled at the duo. Gajeel cast a glare her way, but the intimidation factor was largely negated by the flush of his face, and Totomaru just coughed and shook his head, "I don't think Lorraine brought that set, nor any other set that may be in her wardrobe. She doesn't seem like the sort of person to wear lingerie, but I'd be surprised if she did. That'd also raise questions, especially what purpose did she expect it to serve after buying it."

"I ain't involved in this conversation about... women's wear. Count me out." Gajeel said, putting his foot down on the matter, and Totomaru agreed with great haste, much to the dismay of the guild's medic. They walked out of the girls dorms and, as she winked at the twenty year old mage and caused his cheeks to be stained pink with an oncoming blush, another amused giggle slipped past Emilia's lips, "At least I know that the perverted one is Totomaru. So, Gajeel, since your trip with Lorraine to the subdivision in Magnolia Town has been unfortunately derailed by Laxus Dreyar, what are you two going to do once she's recovered. Go on another job; get some more jewels, or annoy each other all day. I don't think I've seen someone match you in terms of snarky, sarcastic comments."

"Snarky? I don't even know what that word means, but I'm gonna guess that is has something to do with my personality and manner of speaking to others." Gajeel mused as they walked over to Boze and Sue, passing Aria who was alone and burst into tears for no discernible reason. The member of the future-Element Four got out of his seat to follow them. The Iron Dragon Slayer noticed this and nearly started to grind his teeth together, "Oh great, the giant crybaby following us. Now I'm gonna have to deal with and hear the words 'Sad' or 'Sorrowful' every five or so seconds. Anyway, in response to your inquiry, I was gonna take Lorraine on another mission. She's shown that she can handle herself against monsters and ordinary dudes, so I thought about taking her to eliminate a dark guild. There's always one popping up randomly."

"You really think she's ready? There's a big difference between ordinary guys and monsters, and even with your aid, a guild full of inexperienced dark mages." Totomaru stated, raising an eyebrow and Aria burst into tears, muttering something about how sorrowful it was to undermine the abilities of another person. Gajeel snorted, resisting the urge to make the giant of a man 'eat' of his Iron Dragon Clubs, fixing his crimson stare on the S-Class Mage, "You say that, but did you forget that she beat you by outsmarting you. If sure if she can handle someone who is supposed to be a highly experienced mage, albeit by using her head, then a minor dark guild wouldn't be much of a hassle for her.

Totomaru winced at the painful reminder of his loss to someone who hadn't even been in Phantom Lord for at least a month. The loss had delivered a sizeable blow to his ego, and even through he wasn't a particularly prideful person like Gajeel was, he found himself losing a couple nights worth of sleep. Sue coughed into her fist, covering up a laugh. Aria, being the nutcase and enigma that he was, just burst into tears again. Emilia patted Totomaru's arm, providing sympathy and reassuring him that his loss wasn't too bad and that he should take it as a valuable lesson - stop going too easy on newer mages.

Clicking his tongue, Gajeel withdrew a small lacrima from within his unkempt clothing, gaining the attention of the others. Totomaru looked like he was already anticipating Jose's potentially explosive reaction, Aria was doing his usual thing as he left and went to the job board, Sue and Boze appeared to be curious, while Emilia looked slightly worried. Scowling at the crystalline device, the Iron Dragon Slayer began to pour his magic power into it and prepared himself to contact the Phantom Lord's Guild Master. He grumbled, "Alright, let's get this shit done and over with... better be wearing your shitting pants - Master Jose ain't gonna take this well, most likely."

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 **A/N: And there's Chapter 9. Be sure to follow, favourite, and review - even suggest to your fanfiction friends if you think they'll like it.**

 **Some of you might not have a sense of humour, and I got this from a friend of mine (#PunSquad), but here's a pun for you: Why did the old man fall down the well? Because he couldn't see that well.**


	10. Chapter 10

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

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"I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near." - Margaret Thatcher

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Chapter 10.

(Crocus, Kingdom of Fiore - Two hours after the incident at the Magnolia Town subdivision)

After seemingly walking around like a recently beheaded chicken with no sense of direction, Huiqing, noting that her forehead was rather warm and her face had a faint layer of perspiration covering it, focused her attention on the imposing building which loomed ahead of her: the Phantom Lord subdivision building in Crocus, one of the first to be established after Jose Porla attained the status of Guild Master. It was designed to have an appearance that took and combined multiple elements from Fiore's Royal Palace and Phantom Lord's Headquarters Building. By all rights, it should've looked absolutely terrible, but Jose was able to make it work. Heck, Jose could probably wear the silliest baby or toddler outfit and make it work for him.

The subdivision in Crocus was one of the most important Phantom Lord extensions. Firstly, it served as a boot camp and training ground for Rune Knights, with the Rune Knights requiring a minimum of 13 months before basic training was passed and providing those new recruits with the physical and emotional experiences that came with fighting a magical individual who fought with the intent to severely injure or kill, and secondly, it served as another line of defense for Fiore's Royal Family in the event that the kingdom was divided by a potentially destructive civil war or invaded by an external force. If the subdivision were to ever go down, the annual production of Rune Knights would fall by approximately 35%.

Yes, there were boots camps which produced sizeable numbers of Rune Knights all over the Kingdom of Fiore, and some even being stationed in the neighboring countries, but the subdivision in Crocus produced the most out of all of them. The Rune Knights produced by the Crocus subdivision were also the most fearless, disciplined and powerful - the ones produced anywhere else didn't even come close. The master of the subdivision was a perfect example - he was a potential candidate for the title of Wizard Saint and despite having already been a Rune Knight prior to Jose becoming Phantom Lord's Guild Master, he decided to train himself in the subdivision, becoming considerably powerful, especially for a Rune Knight who were usually useless pushovers who couldn't even put up a decent fight against mere A-Class Mages, and a good friend of Jose in the process.

In regards to the earlier events of the day, Huiqing didn't feel bad about conceding defeat to Laxus, despite the fact that she was well within her rights to fight back and take him down with _extreme_ prejudice. Becoming a S-Class Mage meant you had to anticipate the aftermath of the battles you partook in, usually to ensure that your opponent wouldn't succumb to possibly fatal injuries, and know which battles were and weren't worth fighting. She could've fought Laxus in the subdivision, but the building and much of the surrounding area would've been heavily damaged, and there could've been many casualties resulting from missed attacks. Also, it probably would've been shut down if it wasn't worth repairing and multiple other factors could've resulted in the fight ending with a pyrrhic victory.

The eighteen year old didn't want anything bad to happen to anyone, even to those who had wronged and greatly belittled her, but she hoped that Laxus was punished in some shape or form for his reckless actions which could, depending on how Master Jose reacted to the news of the attack, cause a guild war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord. The loss of his S-Class status would probably be damaging enough. The grandson of Makarov Dreyar was, even at his age, was an extremely prideful person and his ego wouldn't be able to take the shame of having his status stripped away from him. Not only that, but thanks to who Laxus was, it would be gossip all over Fiore within a week and eventually, spread to across the world. Although Huiqing had met Makarov and she expected, from her impression of him, to give Laxus a light 'slap on the wrist'. As strict as the old man was, Laxus was his pride and he had spoiled him way too much when he was younger.

She was brought out of her thoughts as a couple of Rune Knights, presumably off duty since they weren't decked out in the usual armour, dashed past her in some sort of competitive race to get somewhere before the other did. With her attention now on the things around her, Huiqing's heart skipped a beat as her nose as assaulted by a variety of flowery scents, many of which she'd smelled before: jasmine, lily of the valley, sweet alyssum, and scented primrose. There was a reason why Crocus was known as Flower Blooming Capital, and why it was one of the biggest tourist attractions in Fiore, behind Hargeon Town, Zentopia Church, Magnolia Town, and Akane Beach.

Crocus was situated within a vast valley which was surrounded by a variety of mountains of small-to-mid height, housing mostly mildly prominent hills, and there was a river close, with some isles in its largest part, flowing in a similarly small gorge, which has woodland on both of its sides, occupying the westernmost part of the valley. The river had to be cleared by a designated group of Rune Knights, every now and then, thanks to family of particularly troublesome beavers who would build their halt the flow of most of the water. The particular species were protected by the king; anyone who killed one could be punished with a really long time in prison, since the species were endangered. Breeding and cloning programmes were being considered, although many considered them unethical, to raise their numbers and drive them any from an endangered conservation status.

Being the capital of the Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus is the largest populated area in the country, with a vast amount of buildings set in a circular formation as far as the eye can see, with the right part of the town being placed on the edge of a small crag; such part seems to be surrounded by walls topping the crag itself. The buildings, possessing bright facades and towers with extremely pointed tiled roof jutting upwards, are lined up the stone street's sides, some of which are pretty basic, while other, more elaborated ones consist of very large, circular mosaics made of wide, flat stones, which bear floral.

The central part of the town has a large, round lake; in its center, linked to the surroundings by a pair of bridges, sits Mercurius, the King of Fiore's palace. On the mountains to the west, on a large, cylindrical stone formation, is the arena - currently under construction as per order by the King - for the upcoming Great Magic Games, the Domus Flau, linked to the town by a long, curved bridge made of stone, possessing several towers. The Grand Magic Games were to start sometime in the next few years and it was to allow people to find out which guild was Fiore's strongest guild, and people had no doubt that furious contesting between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail would occur during the games.

Huiqing walked over a food market stall and, with a kind smile on her face, asked for a few bananas and paid with necessary amount of jewels as the owner of the stall got wanted she wanted, placed them in a small plastic bag, and handed the bag to her. Thanking him, she walked off and continued on her way to the subdivision building. As she went to pull out the clump of bananas, Huiqing noticed the sizeable magical signature that was right behind her. She had barely noticed it before, but now that it was up close, the magic individual now stood out like a tall person in a crowd of really short person. She also noted that the signature was dark, not like Jose's, but more like it was empty and dull.

She turned around to see a thirteen year old kid trailing behind her. He paused at a good distance of 14ft away and remained where he was. She noticed that his eyes and hair were the same colour as Gajeel's own, although his hair was probably a few shades darker, but that difference was barely noticeable. For someone who had lot of magic power, enough for many to give him a wide berth including passing Rune Knights, he was remarkably skinny - under-fed and definitely underweight. It was clear that his clothes, if they could even be called that, had been worn for a long time and were on the verge of falling apart. He could also be considered cute, if one ignored his red eyes and tattered clothing, and if he filled out, would probably have ladies falling for him when he was older.

With wide eyes that expressed his silent pleas, the boy made a gesture of twisting something and then raising his hands to his mouth. Immediately realizing what he wanted, Huiqing produced a full bottle of mineral water. Unscrewing the cap and handing it to him, she watched as he took several greedy gulps - stopping for a moment so he could breathe. "You can keep it if you want, it's clear that you need it more than me. If you don't mind if asking, and if you're capable of answering, what's your name. I'm Huiqing, Huiqing Jiao. Of course, it'll be fine if you don't want to tell me" Huiqing said, tossing the cap to him and giving him a warm smile, and much to her delight, the thirteen year old boy give her a small smile in return.

"Thank you, Huiqing, I'm R-Ryos." He stammered, a hint of pink staining his cheeks as he screwed the cap back onto the bottle and stuffed it into his tattered clothes. Huiqing wanted to do nothing more than engulf him in a hug that would last for all eternity. He was so cute, especially with that blush. Ryos shifted nervously as the eighteen year old stepped closer to him and she immediately stopped in her tracks. Even though he was only thirteen, she could see that his eyes carried some weight and guilt to them, and the last thing she wanted to do was scare him away. Although she wanted to ask why he was under-fed and supposedly wore one set of clothes, another part of her pushed towards asking Ryos why he had such a large amount of magic power and whether he wanted to come with her and join Phantom Lord. Before she could, he said, "Excuse me... do you know someone called Gajeel Redfox."

Gajeel? What did this kid want with Gajeel, although given their identical eye colour and similar shade of hair, Huiqing believed that it wouldn't be too farfetched to believe that he could be the Iron Dragon Slayer's younger brother. Although Gajeel would've said whether he had a sibling wouldn't he, unless Ryos was a 'long lost' sibling. She cocked her head to one side, part of her hoping that this little kid might be his younger brother, "I know Gajeel. He's a good friend of mine, uses Iron Dragon Slayer which looks amazing in action, and he's normally at the Phantom Lord subdivision in Oak Town. Is there something you want with him? I could easily contact him as I have a Communication Lacrima Crystal."

"No, thank you. I've already met him. I wanted to tell him something, but he quickly snapped at me. Can I tell you something else and, um, is he always, um, that impatient?" Ryos asked, his cheeks flushing as he looked down at the ground. Huiqing give him a pitying smile - he'd already gotten the 'Gajeel' treatment. The fourteen year old never had much patience, but she didn't think he'd snap at someone who was younger than him. Perhaps he was hurt over the fact that missed out on an opportunity to fight one of the strongest mages in Fairy Tail. She hoped he'd grow out of being impatient with people 24/7, but that was also what made him stand out. A giggle slipped past her lips, "Yeah, he's always been like that. He's gotten better about it, but I think a recent event caused him to be moodier than usual. And of course, what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Ryos walked over to her and gestured - asking for her to lean closer to him. She did so and when he whispered what he wanted to tell her, Huiqing widened her eyes and looked him over. No wonder his magic power was so big, Gajeel's was exactly the same. The eighteen year straightened up, covered her mouth and gasped. "I think it'll be best if you come with me to the subdivision that I'm about to go to. We'll get you settled to the life of Phantom Lord, then we can go and transfer you to the subdivision in Oak Town when you're ready. I'm sure Gajeel will be... surprised." She said, smiling at her near slip up. Delight wasn't in Gajeel's vocabulary, but glee and surprise was. On the other hand, Master Jose would be more than ecstatic to have someone like Ryos in Phantom Lord.

"You go on ahead. There's something I need to do first." Ryos said. Enveloping Huiqing in a mass of shadows, he transported them directly outside the subdivision that she'd been heading to and then darted away. She stumbled at the unnatural feeling of moving without being able to see and leaned against the front doors of the building to recuperate. Shadow travelling was cool; faster than other methods of conventional and magical transportation, but she never wanted to experience that feeling again. Her stomach was doing jumping-jacks and she had to inhale massive lungful's of air to fight down the urge to empty the contents of her stomach all over the street. Ryos would be a nice addition with Phantom Lord, and like with Lorraine, she was sure he would balance out Gajeel's rough personality and attitude.

Once the nauseous feeling passed. she opened the giant doors, walked through, and was greeted by the elaborate interior of the Crocus subdivision. It resembled the interior of the sub-building in Oak Town, but it had two giant statues at the other side of the room. The gold statue on the left was Geoffrey, the founder and 1st Guild Master of Phantom Lord, and the statue on the right, which had been crafted out of platinum, was Jose Porla. On the right side of Jose's statue was a staircase that led to the second floor, and the master's office was located between the two statues. The office door was remarkably simple, not as flashy as the statues or the rest of the guild which was lined with old, expensive paintings, and sliver pillars.

"Hey, Huiqing, I didn't expect to see you so soon? Did you miss me, or did something drastic happen to the subdivision building in Magnolia Town?" A voice called out and the eighteen year old turned to see who had spoken. It was an older woman, in her early twenties, and she stood at 5'7ft, had fair skin, bright blue eyes, and dark hair which was set in a ponytail. She was dressed in a black shirt, a beige trench coat which fell down to her knees, smart trousers, and black trainers which had a white base.

This twenty-two year old was Masika Shakeel, a longtime friend of Huiqing and fellow attendee of the Academy For Aspiring Mages, occasional model for the Sorcerer Magazine, the second-in-command of the Crocus subdivision, renown S-class Mage who had been given the title of Phantom Lord's Electromagnet, and advisor to the master of the subdivision.

"A bit of both, more so inclined towards the latter. Still, it's good to see you again, Masika. I've got some news for Balderich - Laxus Dreyar got all 'high and mighty' and demonstrated his one-man army capabilities on the subdivision that I was in charge of. Anyway, is Balderich in his office?" Huiqing asked as she captured the other mage in a hug.

The brunette returned the hug with equal vigor and when she released Huiqing, she said, "It's good to see you too, and Balderich is in his office. He's just come back... well, I wouldn't say 'just, more like three hours ago, from a meeting with his old Rune Knight squad-mates. I think he's currently working out in there, but there'll be no harm done if you go in whilst he's exercising. Once you've broken the bad news to the old man, fancy having a spar? We haven't had one for, what, four months?"

"I'm all up for a spar, I hope you've gotten better 'cause I've learned a few new techniques and I haven't had a chance to use them in combat, and Balderich isn't an old man. He might be significantly older than us, but he's only fifty-one years old. Come on, Masika, cut him some slack - you can call him an old man when he's in his sixties." Huiqing chided, eliciting several laughs from the brunette who smiled cheekily, "He's old enough to be someone's grandfather and most of his hair has greyed, therefore he's an old man. Granted, I wouldn't say 'old man' to his face, but you get my point. And I can't wait to see what you have in store for me, I hope it provides a decent challenge to my Electromagnetism Magic."

"I'm sure it will." Before heading towards Balderich's office, Huiqing exchanged a high-five and another hug with Masika. On her way to the office, she passed by and greeted several Phantom Lord mages, even kindly turning down one who presented her with a bunch of flowers and enthusiastically asked her to go out on a date with him.

Stopping outside the office door which was always unlocked, she twisted the handle and pushed so she could enter, and was greeted by an unoccupied oak table. Glancing over the right side of the room, she saw Balderich in his personal gym - the man in question was laying on his back, sweating like pig in the blazing sun, and raising a lengthy dumbbell away from his chest and into the air.

For a man in his early fifties, and someone who started their life as a Rune Knight, Balderich - who was only wearing jogging shoes, tracksuit bottoms, and gym gloves - was impressively built - more so than the likes of Laxus Dreyar and Gildarts Clive, the latter of the two already being well-known for having muscular build, an absolute necessity so he could handle the immense recoil produced by his Crash without dying because his organs had imploded and his bones had shattered like glass.

Whilst Rune Knights could produce and possess incredible amounts of magic power - with a sufficient amount of time, dedication and hard work - unlike mages, they didn't know how to improve their musculature with magic, and it became impossible to learn once they were almost forty. His biceps were scarred and massive; almost disgustingly so, his chest was unbelievably firm, and distractingly firm eight pack abs were visible on his abdomen - flexing and tightening each time he raised the dumbbell.

Crinkling her nose as the intense smell of sweat lingered in the air and invaded her nostrils, Huiqing cleared her throat to get his attention, although she was sure that he was more than capable of holding a conversation while doing his exercise - he often did the former whilst battling with others. Balderich placed the dumbbell to rest, slid out from underneath the bar so he wouldn't hit his head upon sitting up, and then gulped down half of his protein shake in a manner that would remind anyone of an incredibly thirsty animal.

Wiping his forehead with a tissue to clear it of sweat and make himself more presentable, Balderich slid into a tight shirt that did nothing to hide his muscular physique. Pulling his gym gloves off, he focused his soft gaze, one which held back and almost hid his years of intensity and wisdom, on Huiqing, "Huiqing, my dear, it's a pleasure to see you. How are you and what may I do for you?"

The eighteen year chewed on her lower lip, "I'm sure you know about Laxus Dreyar, the grandson of Makarov Dreyar? A few hours ago, he burst into the subdivision that I was in charge of and stated, after incapacitating several mages whom I am responsible for, that he would eventually become Fairy Tail's next Guild Master. He was angry about how much influence the subdivision had over his guild."

"And he said that his Fairy Tail would be different - only those who could give him a decent fight would be accepted into guild, it would once again be the pride of the Kingdom of Fiore, people would go back to respecting and fearing his guild, and Phantom Lord would know what it's like to be 'pushed into a corner' when he's in charge. There wasn't much damage done, but I ordered the dissolution of the subdivision. I wasn't going to risk having him come back and attack again... do you think I did the right thing?" She inquired, feeling slightly nervous.

Balderich was furious, but he did an excellent job of preventing his face from showing his rage. It would be unprofessional of him to lose his cool, but Laxus Dreyar was an arrogant young man who needed to receive a harsh lesson in humility and be set straight. Master Makarov's grandson notwithstanding, he shouldn't be allowed to go scot free after attacking an integral part of Phantom Lord. Makarov, bless his old heart, would be lucky if Jose didn't decide, however illegal and justified as it may be, to go to war.

He softened his gaze by a fraction as he sighed and dragged a hand through his greying hair, "You did the thing that any smart commander would've done. Followed your brain and looked out for those who look up to you instead of being prideful and putting their lives at risk. This is... distressing news, but I doubt Jose will take it well. He's got enough things to worry about. I'll be informing the Magic Council about his transgression, Laxus will receive some form of punishment. I'll pity him if that strict young man, Lahar, ends up being involved."

"Understood, sir, and I agree - he might be slightly older than me, but that stare of his is quite intimidating. Also, is it okay if I stay here? I might stay permanently, if you'll allow me to, or go over to the subdivisions in the northernmost part of Fiore or Oak Town. And I'm going to have a fight with Masika later, interested in having a watch?" Huiqing inquired.

She watched Balderich as he smiled which made the few age lines on his face stand out. He clapped his thick, calloused hands together as he chuckled, " _Is_ it okay if you stay here? Of course, my dear girl, you're always welcome here! You're a member of Phantom Lord, you'll be welcome to stay in any of the subdivisions. You're - taking an overdone page from Master Makarov's book here - family, and I'll certainly watch your fight. I might even challenge you myself. I haven't had a scuffle with anyone for quite a while. Just make sure you fight each other out the back, several mages have forgotten to take their fights outside, and I've had to have the subdivision rebuilt."

"Of course, sir." Giving Balderich a smile, Huiqing left his office and waltzed her way over to Masika who was levitating four metal cups around her raised hand, rotating in a full circle. Every now and again, she sped up how fast they rotated around her hand, then she would form a small ball of bluish-white electricity - no bigger than a golf ball and toss it into one of the cups. Upon seeing Huiqing approach, she sat up in her chair and manipulated the cups into travelling back to the tables that they'd presumably initially been on.

"How'd it go with Master Balderich? What's gonna happen to the 'Thunder King of Fairy Tail'?" Masika asked, standing up as Huiqing got closer. They were about to fight, so there'd be no point in them sitting down if they were just going to get up a little later. The former master of the subdivision in Magnolia Town shifted her weight from one foot to the other and hummed, "Balderich said that he'd be reporting to the Magic Council, informing them on Laxus's actions. That really strict Rune Knight Captain, Lahar, might get involved. If he does, then I don't see Laxus getting a light 'slap on the wrist and a mere warning' kind of punishment."

"Lahar? Shit, he's the sort to demand that Laxus should have his S-Class status taken away from him. The others, especially those who wouldn't be so keen to get on the bad side of Makarov and Fairy Tail, might go with a lighter punishment. Anyway, moving on from the subject of authority figures without any balls and a spine, are you ready?" Masika asked, eliciting a nod from Huiqing as they walked over to the large front doors of the subdivision. The doors, courtesy of a magical helping hand from Masika, opened without being touched.

Despite having seen and fought against it, Masika's magic, Electromagnetism Magic still excited her. There was just something about the essence that flowed through most of existence going up against electromagnetism which, amongst many other things, accounted for almost all physical phenomenon observable to the unaided human senses. Electromagnetism Magic, despite the mere facts that people believed because they were unable or simply too stubborn to think bigger - only being able to manipulate metal and a bit of electricity - was one of the most powerful and versatile abilities in the magical world.

Then again, depending on how smart the user was and how familiar they were with their magic, any form of magic could be considered as being a versatile sort. Master Jose's Shade could be employed at close to medium range, but it could be used as long range if Jose wanted to use it in such a way. Shade could be used to overwhelm the target through sheer numbers, employed as a high-risk distraction if Jose was ready to use his fists in a fight, or used in a stealthy manner. Shades didn't make much noise - could be willed to be completely silent if necessary - and their colour scheme meant they were practically invisible at nighttime areas that lacked artificial lighting, plus, someone who was killed by Shades could sometimes look like they'd been killed with something different.

Take Iron Dragon Slayer Magic for example, even though Gajeel seemed more intent on relying on brute force over anything else, could easily be used in a variety of ways. The ability to create what seemed like a protective skin-like layer of iron could be used in a way which meant that attacks were largely focused on Gajeel, allowing any companions to eliminate those attacking him with little resistance. Projectile based techniques meant that Gajeel, despite the fact that he was more of an 'in your face, break your nose and knock out your teeth kind of fighter', could harass enemies whilst keeping himself away from any immediate danger. Lastly, his enhanced senses brought up a whole new load of potential battle strategies and tactics - hunting a target and remaining on track.

Being so caught up in her thoughts, Huiqing almost failed to notice that Masika and herself were outside the subdivision, standing in the backyard - something that each subdivision had, except for the one in the cold north. Pretty flowers didn't mean much when the cold, snow and ice were going to quickly kill them. The northernmost Phantom Lord subdivision just settled with dozens of snowmen, arctic fox pets, hills of compact and hard snow, the occasional day of ice skating, snowboarding and snowball fighting, trenches made from ice and snow, a giant bronze statue of Jose holding an ice cube, and several ice sculptures.

"Huiqing, are you ready. The rules are the usual: no killing each other, fight with everything you've got, and the fight is over when one of us is knocked out, is sufficiently injured to the point where neither of us can continue, or has conceded defeated." Masika called, alerting the eighteen year old to the sizeable crowd that had gathered to watch and place bets. Just as he said, Balderich was watching, and Huiqing noted that she could feel Ryos' magic power - faint as it may be, but still big enough, due to the distance between them - moving along the outskirts of Crocus. Balderich must've noticed the magic power as well, because he curiously raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and looked of in the direction where Ryos was moving. One quick glance at Huiqing and he already knew that it'd be nothing to worry about.

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(Back in the Phantom Lord subdivision in Oak Town)

Gajeel narrowed his red eyes as Jose Porla's face, complete with one eyebrow raised, appeared on the other side of the Communication Lacrima Crystal. Somehow, despite the fact that he wasn't wearing anything on his head, Jose's face was entirely cloaked in darkness. It didn't bother him. If Jose wanted to lurk around in a really dark basement as if he was the monster that 'regularly' haunted the dreams of young children, then that was his business. Besides, Jose - when not in enraged, psychopathic murdered mode - had lots of weird quirks. The Iron Dragon Slayer guessed that lurking around in basements might just be 'his thing'.

"Hmmm, it's not often that one of my mages contacts me. Bah, I guess I'm missed. What's the occasion, Gajeel, has something dramatic happened?" On the other side of the lacrima, Jose had a partially lost expression on his face as he waved a hand and delivered his inquiry. Gajeel twitched, annoyance starting to flow through his veins, as the other spectating mages shifted away from him - like they were afraid that Jose's temper would explode and affect them through the lacrima. He growled through his teeth which were almost grinding against each other, "A few hours ago, Laxus Dreyar attacked the subdivision in Magnolia Town. Huiqing conceded defeat, not wanting to put anymore lives in danger, and ordered the shutdown of the subdivision. According to her, he said the Phantom Lord would soon know what it's like to be pushed into a corner."

Gajeel held the lacrima out at arms length as a multitude of emotions flickered through Jose's darkened face, making it almost impossible to determine exactly what he might be thinking. Anger, which was definitely from the audacity of Laxus Dreyar; disappointment, which was probably due to how one of his top mages conceded defeat to the aforementioned S-class Mage; pride - perhaps Laxus was the son that Jose wanted but never had - and surprise, he might've thought that Makarov had a tight enough leash on the grandson to stop him from doing anything unimaginably stupid and reckless. There were more emotions, but they passed too quickly for Gajeel to get a good read on them. And to his surprise, although it shouldn't really be considering Jose's unstable and unpredictable nature, the Guild Master of Phantom Lord didn't react in a way that they'd all expected him to.

The forty-five year old man moved his shadowed face away from the lacrima, allowing Gajeel to see the near imperceptible crinkle of his eyes and his pearly white teeth which indicated that he was either smiling, grinning, or snarling in a very un-snarly manner. "How unfortunate, this is quite a considerable setback for Phantom Lord, but I suppose it was only a matter of time until something like this happened. Balderich, this master of the subdivision in Crocus, has already informed me that he's going to notify the Magic Council about this incident. You need not worry, hehehe, Laxus will definitely get a substantial punishment, something like 'guild arrest' or losing his S-class status, and I assume that various sanctions might be dumped onto Fairy Tail - potentially limiting the amount of jobs that will be available to them for the rest of this year and next year. Until next time, ja!"

As the snap of a finger was heard, accompanied be the grin on Jose's face growing even bigger until it was practically splitting his face in two and his outline being enveloped with his magic power, the image through the Communication Lacrima Crystal suddenly gained multiple hairline fractures, went fuzzy, and then returned to the usual clear state of the device. Gajeel snorted as he heard Totomaru, Bose and Sue let out breaths that they'd been holding since Jose's face had appeared in the lacrima. He pocketed the lacrima and, with a wide smirk plastered to his face, turned to them, "Gihihihihihi, you pansies, I can't believe you were holding your breaths. Even if he did react violently, it's not like he would've been able to do anything through the lacrima. Still, that went better than I expected, I actually thought he was going to flip out and declare war, even through guild wars are illegal due to the Interguild Dispute Interdiction Treaty - don't give me that look, I only just knew about that since last week!"

Boze snickered, faking a cough as Gajeel glared at him, but ended up causing pain to flare up in his sternum. Sue's mouth twitched as she gave the dark-skinned man a glance, making sure that he wouldn't double over and end up having a coughing fit. As Aria started crying and calling things 'Sorrowful!', somewhere in the background, Totomaru allowed fire of varying colours to dance around his fingertips as he said, "So, Gajeel, what are you and Lorraine going to do, of course, once she's fully recovered. Go on a monster hunt? Scare away some thugs who are harassing a small town? Retrieve an artifact for somebody?"

Gajeel grunted in response, withdrawing a piece of paper that he'd kept within his clothes and held it up to show to the others. "Hn, nah, I took this before we departed for the subdivision in Magnolia Town. A couple of dark guilds, nothing major but a cause for concern, have set up residence in the forest near the northern outskirts of Hargeon Town. A dark guild extermination job - payment is 337,000 jewels. I doubt they'll cause us much trouble, the Magic Council barely knows anything about them, and I think the authorities in Hargeon Town would be more urgent if they were exceptionally dangerous dark mages."

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 **A/N: And here's Chapter 10 after some delay. The following chapters should bring back the action and get more exciting. Also, imagining that a live-action Fairy Tail movie was made, I'd like to know what your dream cast for each member of Fairy Tail.**

 **Also, don't forget to favourite, follow and review.**


	11. Chapter 11

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

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"The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic." - John F. Kennedy

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Chapter 11.

(Magnolia Town, outside the Fairy Tail Guild)

Makarov stood outside of his guild, staring at the ruins that had once been the Phantom Lord subdivision of Magnolia Town. The sudden increase and decrease in the magic power of various magical individuals, including that of his grandson whom he instantly recognized, had made him curious as to what was going on. Now he knew what Laxus had been up to whilst he'd been drinking, going on a foolish one-man army rampage through the subdivision that had done nothing but keep Fairy Tail 'in check'. Had his grandson done this to make him proud? Had Laxus done this of his own accord and arrogance? Did Laxus know about the potential consequences of his actions? Had Gajeel had severely harmed? Makarov didn't know much about the young man, other than he was a Dragon Slayer, but he cared about him and saw a lot of Natsu in Gajeel, although the latter was a lot more reckless and violent in terms of fighting.

"Oi, old man, Laxus really needs to be reigned in. Jose won't let this pass easily. Heck, he might be an arrogant punk and a S-Class Mage, but I didn't think he'd have the balls to do something like that. You need to show him that simply being your grandson doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants." A tall, muscular man said as he stood next to Makarov. His hair was orange and slicked back, he had light blue eyes, and he wore a long, black, high-collared and tattered cloak with shoulder plates; around his waist is a simple belt. He was also wearing loose-fitting dark pants, complete with an armored waist-guard bearing plates similar to the ones on his shoulders, tucked inside simple boots. This was Gildarts Clive, a forty year old SS-Class Mage, and the renown user of the incredibly destructive Crash Mage and Guild Ace of Fairy Tail.

"I know, but I should've seen this coming. Laxus has always been proud of Fairy Tail, but he's never respected the other guilds in Phantom Lord. I'm just glad the he had the common sense to not storm up to the Phantom Lord Headquarters and fight Jose. My grandson might be powerful, but I'd hate to see Jose return him in a body-bag as there'd probably be nothing that I could do retaliation. Laxus attacked first and Jose would be well within in rights to do whatever he has to do to defend himself in retaliation. I'm going to speak with my grandson and Yajima, see if I can get the latter to convince the Magic Council to not be too harsh on Fairy Tail. I can hope that Laxus doesn't turn out like his father. The excommunication of Ivan caused me more than enough emotional pain and heartbreak, especially when I saw the look of despair and betrayal on his face. I don't think I'd be able to handle the excommunication of my own grandson."

"You do what you think his best. I know that you'll make all of the right decisions." Gildarts said, resting a comforting hand on Makarov's shoulder. The eighty-three year old sagged, already feeling the extra weight of the Magic Council and Phantom Lord bearing down on his shoulders alongside the already stressful weight of being an elderly man in his eighties, a Wizard Saint, and the Guild Master of Fairy Tail - the latter being a position he'd held for the past forty-three years. The younger mage sighed, "Welp, I'm gonna go back inside and get myself a S or SS-Class job. You go back in when your ready and don't worry so much. The aftermath of Laxus' actions will come eventually, but I'm sure that the punishment won't hurt Laxus or Fairy Tail too much. Come on in and have a drink with me before I leave, alcohol always stops you from stressing out. Last thing this guild needs is you dropping from a heart attack or stroke because you were worrying so much about Laxus."

Makarov turned follow Gildarts. He hoped that Yajima, one of his longest friends and former member of Fairy Tail, could sway the Magic Council into not being so harsh on his guild, or even completely overlook Laxus' actions and do nothing. Makarov had faith in Yajima's ability to convince others, but there was only so many times he could get the council to do what he wanted. He justed hoped that something else wouldn't come up, like Natsu Dragneel, Fairy Tail's Fire Dragon Slayer, destroying a set of buildings whilst fighting something completely unrelated. In his excitement, Natsu could end up incinerating everything around him, even when the intended target was right in front of him. Buildings were burned beyond the point of possible repair, and large swathes of forest could end up being burned to the ground.

He'd contact Yajima after a short round of drinks with Gildarts, although he would probably forget himself and drink like a rowdy sailor until he was absolutely wasted and barely able to move or form fully coherent sentences, and then he'd need to give Laxus a stern talking to. Intentionally attacking another guild, even if it was a mere subdividion and just for the sake of Fairy Tail's pride, was a massive no-no and a uneasy line that had been crossed. It seemed that his retirement, and his inevitable choice to resign as Wizard Saint and hand over the position of Fairy Tail's Guild Master, and just been delayed indefinitely. Perhaps he'd wait until Gildarts got bored of constantly going on S and SS-Class jobs. But knowing his luck and the endless energy and optimism of the Crash user, he'd be already dead and six feet under for a long time by then.

* * *

(Somewhere in the forests near Crocus)

Ryos was walking through the dense forest, looking for a valuable item that had been in his possession. Prior to meeting Huiqing, he'd hidden it somewhere, and now that he might have a place in Phantom Lord, he wanted to find it again. He was being very careful in monitoring his surroundings, as the last thing he wanted was to be attacked by criminals who posed no threat to him and monsters. Criminals wouldn't be able to do anything to his valuable - an egg - but monsters could potentially end up destroying it, and Ryos didn't know if the egg was just a misplaced decoration that looked like an egg, or something that held a growing life in it. He couldn't even sense whether magic power was coming from the egg.

Since the majority of the trees around him looked exactly the same, he peaked into every tree that had a sizeable hole in its bark, big enough to fit a child's body inside. Because the egg was only half his size, it would be almost impossible to miss it. Also, as the egg didn't give off as particular smell - although he was sure that something like it should - his sense of smell wasn't going to help him here, and as eggs couldn't move, neither was his sense of hearing which would only help pick up the sounds of moving animals and monsters, and people trying to sneak up on him. Plus, Ryos knew that - other than the fact that the egg was abnormally large - as his egg was an odd shade of green, he'd spot his it immediately.

 _'Where is it? I'm sure I left it around here somewhere.'_ Ryos thought, starting to feel a little worried as he considered the possibility that his egg might've hatched a creature that was long gone, or had been stolen by nosy thieves or a monster who had been hungry and looking for a quick snack. The thought disgusted him and caused anger to boil in the pit of his stomach, but Ryos kept a clear head. Being overcome with rage and unnecessarily lashing out wouldn't help him, for it would just be a waste of his sizeable magical power and would only draw unwanted attention to himself, and the thirteen year old wished it wasn't so difficult to find his egg. Retracing his footsteps wouldn't help him anymore, for he'd already done so and it had led him to exactly where he was now. Although he wasn't going to give up, Ryos had a feeling that his egg had been taken.

And he was possibly right. A few seconds later, a monstrous howl which came from the north, startled and shook him down to the bone. He wasn't afraid of what might be coming, but the savage screams from monsters, something he was used to hearing since he had safely delivered little Wendy to Cait Shelter, still gave him the chills. Chills of excitement and anticipation that sent adrenaline flooding into his veins like water that had been let free from behind a dam. The ground shuddered with every step that got closer to him, minor enough for Ryos to know that he wouldn't be fighting a humongous beast, but when he expanded his senses, the raven-haired teen discovered that the monster was barely taller than himself, so it was probably the magic power which was causing the ground to shudder. That didn't explain the acidic and burning sensation that persisted in relentlessly assaulting his nose.

A few moments later, the monster stalked out from behind a tree and Ryos had to stop himself from mindlessly lunging towards it. It was an oversized dog that appeared to be severely emaciated. He wondered, given how the hound-like beast was so skinny and had exposed rib bones - as in literally visible through open and festering wounds - how the monster had enough energy and strength to even move. It looked like it had no muscles, but perhaps it was moving through sheer willpower. It was impossible to ignore the fact that the beast had a flaming flank, something it seemed to be totally oblivious to, and it had dimly glowing red eyes and a mouth full of dark, rotting teeth. Held within said mouth was the egg that Ryos had been trying to find, and the monster - he decided to call it a hellhound because it looked like something that'd come straight from the depths of hell - spat out his egg and allowed it to roll to the side.

Sneaking a glance at the egg, Ryos could see that it was covered in thick, translucent steaming drool but had suffered no visible damage. Although the same couldn't be said for whatever was inside the egg. The hellhound might've killed the embryo held within with all the violently shaking and jostling that it might've done as it tried to break the egg to get to the tasty interior. As if it were mocking or taunting him, the hellhound used one of its bony legs to knock the egg aside, sending the unfortunate object rolling away into a tree stamp and Ryos had to hold his tongue. He didn't want to speak and be caught off guard by the monster in case it decided to attack. That mouth full of teeth looked absolutely dreadful, at least compared to the mouths of other monsters, and the thirteen year old didn't want to begin to imagine what kind of infections he'd be bedridden with if those teeth managed to even graze him.

For all Ryos knew, he could end up developing a case of severe blood poisoning or untreatable gangrene in the wounded area.

He twitched, expecting an attack as the hellhound growled and then let out a ferocious bark. The smell of death washed over his nose, smothering him in a way that felt like someone was covering his nose with a smelly and mouldy cloth that hadn't been washed in years, and the monster belched out a small fireball, igniting the ground directly in front of it. Ryos couldn't even bring himself to laugh at the admittedly silly image. Two lives were balancing on a precarious line here, his own and the one of the unborn creature, and there was always a time for laughing - although he'd never actually done so before - and now wasn't the time. Those dimly glowing red eyes bored into his soul like the cold metal of finely sharpened blades being driven through and into the vulnerable and unprotected skin of an unfortunate victim. Yet even still, the hellhound made no move to attack - being seemingly content to just stand there and watch him, almost as if they were playing a high-stakes game of chess.

This was a delicate game of cat and mouse, and Ryos knew full well that he was the mouse. One small mistake would result in him never seeing Huiquing again or his 'idol', Gajeel Redfox of the Black Steel.

Although he had no way of telling what the monster was thinking, Ryos guessed that it wanted him to go for his egg so it could attack him once his back was exposed. Monsters, similarly to brainless thugs and criminals, weren't respectful or honourable fighters, and that was probably because the former lived in a world of 'kill or be killed' and 'survival of the fittest.' Then, only slightly, he adjusted his footing as he began to feel uncomfortable with being in one position for so long, and without any warning, the hellhound dashed forth and lunged at him - closing the sizeable distance between them in less than a second. Ryos threw himself backwards onto the floor, widening his eyes as he watched the hellhound snap its teeth at the air where his throat had been moments earlier. He scrambled back, clambered to his feet and leapt to one side as the hellhound exhaled and fired a burst of blackish-purple flame in his direction.

Feeling as if the flames - despite the fact he wasn't about to be incinerated by standing in its way - Ryos felt like his life had just flashed before his eyes and the passing stream of flames caused him to break out into a sweat, and betting his life and death chances, Ryos turned to look at the aftermath of the fiery breath of the hellhound... hellfire breath.

Everything that had been struck by the hellfire breath had been reduced to barely smoldering ashes, including the ground which now had a glowing trench in it and trees which weren't even stumps anymore. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if he was struck by that. Ryos had taken hits that he guessed would kill anyone less durable than himself, but he knew he wouldn't be around to see another day if he took take attack head-on. A deep growl shifted his attention back to the hellhound and Ryos turned to see the horrifying beast less than a few meters away from, teeth bared and ready to be sunk into the torso. With no time to spare, he opened his mouth as if he were about to scream and unleashed a large burst of shadows from his mouth, striking the hellhound in the face and launching it away from him - sending it flying back first into a tree which snapped under the impact.

The hellhound staggered slightly as it landed on its feet and shook its head, but it appeared to be otherwise unharmed. From the looks of it, Ryos might as well have struck it with a pebble. It didn't even spare a glance at the downed tree before it ran and lunged at him again. This time, Ryos was more than ready for it. He coated his right arm in shadows and sidestepped its lunge, punching it in the face as it sailed past him like a pitch-black missile of teeth, thin skin and bones. Satisfaction flowed through his body as he watched the hellhound land awkwardly on the ground, clearly pushed off balance by his attack. But his pride and joy would only last momentarily, because the hellhound ran and lunged at him again, but unleashed its hellfire breath as he went to sidestep again, prompting him to widen his eyes at the sneaky move and forcing him to shift and sink into his shadow.

Despite being in and composed of his own and the surrounding shadows, an ability that came with his specific power set and he'd opted to call it the Shadow Shift, Ryos could still feel the immense heat wash over him, causing him to break out into a sweat which. He knew that if it wasn't for his Shadow Shift, he'd be deader than a barbequed pig, and as Ryos emerged from the shadow of the downed tree, the hellhound jerked his head around to face him and snarled with rage. Clearly, it had intended to wipe him of the face of Earthland with that attack, but Ryos wasn't ready to die just yet. He was a mage and he had, potentially, so much ahead of him. Also, he wanted to be with his 'big-brother' - on terms where he wasn't so impatient and snappy and carrying an unconscious lady over his shoulder - and see little Wendy again. Ryos flared his magic power and the hellhound barked out a challenge in response, and he could've sworn that he saw it smirk at him.

 _'This dirty mutt is going down.'_ Ryos thought as shadows rose up around him and began to engulf and rotate around his body, circling around him in a concentric circle-like pattern. In response, the hellhound crouched low to the ground and engulfed its entire body in flames, barely leaving its dimly glowing red eyes visible through the blackish-purple flames, and neither of them moved for several painstakingly long seconds. They took off as one of Ryos' shadow circles struck the ground, closing the distance between each other within the span of several seconds and multiple images flashed before Ryos' eyes as he and the hellhound rapidly neared each other. Slaying his dragon parent, Skiadrum, after he became ill and implanting one of his Dragon Lacrima into his body, meeting a seven year old Wendy and eventually dropping her off at Cait Shelter after travelling around with her for three months, and meeting Gajeel Redfox.

"Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash." Ryos bellowed as he and the hellhound were practically face-to-face with each. Rotating his arms in a circular motion as the immense heat of the flaming hellhound began wash over and quickly dehydrate him, he violently assaulted the hellhound with a torrent of razor sharp feather-like shadows, deeply slicing into its legs, face and body. Solidifying the shadows the hellhound failed to maintain its hellfire cloak, Ryos forcefully drove the hellhound into the ground. It let out a deep grunt before it began to let out pitiful whining noises, and when he looked up to see why, he saw that he'd managed to sever one of its legs and relieve it of half of its face. As he rested his palms against his knees as he tried to catch his breath, the hellhound stopped whining, glared murderously at him and rasped, " _ **Quite unlike other humans that I've fought. Watch your back, boy. I might tear it off one day and send you straight to hell."**_

Before he could respond and acknowledge the fact that the beast had spoken to him, hellhound gave him a sneer of contempt with an underlying hint of respect, consumed its severed leg as parts of its face began to grow back and awkwardly ran off. As the hellhound left, Ryos found himself in immediate need of water, but he scrambled over to his egg and worriedly looked it over. There was a freshwater river nearby, but his prized possession was his current and primary concern. Look it over, Ryos saw that its hard shell lacked tooth marks. It was more durable than it initially looked. Letting out a breath of relief, one that he didn't know he'd been holding, Ryos began to walk around and gather materials.

He'd need to construct something if he didn't want to be exhausted by the time he met up with Huiqing at the Phantom Lord subdivision, but first things first, he _really_ needed to get to the nearby freshwater river and hydrate himself. After surviving a hellhound attack, he wasn't going to become food for wild animals like vultures and bears.

* * *

(A few hours later - Office of Yajima; Magic Council member. 1st floor of the Magic Council HQ, Town of Era)

Yajima, a longtime friend of Makarov Dreyar, ran a slightly bony hand over his face as he listened to what Makarov had to tell him. His friend's impulsive grandson had gone, against all of his grandfather's wishes, and challenged and leveled the Phantom Lord subdivision in Magnolia Town. He had no love for Jose or his lackeys, except for the likes of Balderich and Huiqing - those two were the sane ones who could calm Jose down and talk sense into the sociopathic psychopath, although young Totomaru was another contender for being a sane Phantom Lord mage, at least in his opinion - but he'd never wish such a thing on them. Now Makarov wanted him to convince the Magic Council into not taking action in regards to Laxus Dreyar and Fairy Tail in its entirety. He'd spent years swaying the Magic Council into not doing anything to Fairy Tail, and it was getting increasingly harder and harder to persuade them, and Yajima knew they'd soon stop listening to him if something major - with Fairy Tail front and center - arose.

He was old, nearing retirement edge, and constantly bailing Fairy Tail wasn't something he wanted to be doing when he was well into his eighties - when he'd quit and set up his retirement business. He was already edging to the wrong side of seventy and he could already feel the physical and mental strain that came with repeatedly preventing Makarov's guild from being punished by the Magic Council. He was a short, old man - only a few inches taller than the already dwarfish Makarov Dreyar - with thick light-brown eyebrows and a small toothbrush mustache that reaches halfway to his mouth. He was bald, but used to possess a full head of chocolate brown hair, black eyes which were hidden by his incredibly narrowed eyelids and he wore a brown long sleeve shirt with black vertical stripes and a black three-spiked hat. With weary and tired eyes, he looked at Makarov through the Communication Lacrima Crystal and cleared his throat, "My friend, I'll do what I can, but this might be the finishing point for Fairy Tail. They've done plenty of silly and reckless things, but nothing like this. Still, you have my word, I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you. I have faith that you'll be able to pull it off, and we should have a round of drinks if you manage to do it. I'll see you soon, Yajima." Makarov replied through the device and then his face shimmered and vanished, being replaced the slightly translucent surface of the lacrima. Sighing as he suddenly realized how exhausted he felt - more so than usual - the seventy-five year old former member of Fairy Tail gingerly set the device onto his expensive oak desk, took a long and well needed drink from his recently made steaming cup of coffee, and then, with his cup of coffee held by the handle in one hand, got out of his seat. He had a council to persuade. Adjusting his clothes, he opened the door of his office and nearly walked into a girl who happened to be standing right outside, about to knock on his door. He jumped, practically able to feel his heart rate and blood pressure spike. He hadn't been expecting anyone to be standing outside. Was the young lady _trying_ to give him an early retirement with a heart attack? He didn't intend to leave for another eight to ten years.

"Old man! Hey, you look as pale as a fresh bed-sheet or a ghost. Did I scare you? If I did, I'm completely sorry, I didn't mean to." She said, sounding honestly apologetic as she practically fretted over him. Although he recognized her voice, there wasn't a female affiliated with the Magic Council who had her distinct voice, nor did they call him 'old man.' Nobody called him 'old man' except for Lahar, but that was just part of his unique deadpan humour. Yajima had to take a few steps back to properly identify the person and smiled warmly when he was able to identify her. Standing tall before him was Ediltrudis Wilhelm, twenty-three year old Rune Knight and the adopted daughter of Balderich Wilhelm - having been adopted and taken in under his care since she'd been five years old, orphaned after her mother died childbirth and her father, a good friend of Balderich, died whilst on duty.

Like anyone else who didn't have a short stature and subsequently gave him a complex over being vertically challenged whenever they stood before him, Ediltrudis practically towered over Yajima even though she stood at an average height of 5'6ft. She was a light-skinned, lean-built young woman who appeared to be slightly younger than she actually was. She possessed long brown hair with two long strands that fell over her sizeable chest - Yajima had to think about other questionable things to quell his impending nosebleed - slightly plump lips and light green eyes and a tattoo of Fiore on her left arm, although it was hidden by her uniform. She wore the same attire as Lahar, but it was slightly modified to properly fit her feminine figure, and alongside being a Council-associate, she currently held the position of Captain of the 2nd Custody Enforcement Unit - a unit in charge of detaining mages at the highest risk of beginning to purposefully endanger the lives of multiple people or becoming a dark mage, watching them over a long period of time through surveillance.

She used Hydrogen and Fire Magic which resulted in spectacularly explosive 'lightshows' when she produced more than enough of the former and shared many similarities with Lahar, but was also the opposite to him in various ways. They'd both been cocky thrill seekers when they were younger - something they had both come to grow themselves out of - and always made sure to complete all of their work, but where he was largely stoic with little sense of humour, Ediltrudis was much more expressive and had a bigger sense of humour, although she knew that there were times and places to not crack jokes. It was also no secret that despite their opposing personalities, they were close friends and Ediltrudis had a massive crush on Lahar, although due to the latter's stoicism, it was hard to tell whether he returned or even acknowledged the emotional sentiment. Yajima knew he was definitely getting old when the thought ' _ah, young love'_ popped into his head.

"It's fine, although you certainly did give me a fright. I just wasn't expecting anyone to be outside my office. And for future note, don't hover outside my office. I'd like it if I was able to work with and in the Magic Council for another nine years. A heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest won't allow me to do that." He jokingly told her, waving the young woman off with a slight wave and warm smile. As she adjusted her clothing, Ediltrudis laughed as they began walking and heading towards the Primary Chamber of the Magic Council, "I assume you've already heard about Laxus' attack on the Phantom Lord subdivision in Magnolia Town. I know you've bailed Fairy Tail out of trouble before, but you might not be so lucky this time. Chairman Gran Doma and Lahar already know about it and you already know the former already holds Fairy Tail with great disdain. I'll wish you luck, but that's all I'll be able to do. This might be fight that you probably might not win, not matter how much you argue in Fairy Tail's defence. On a side note, is there anything you want me to do."

Yajima cocked his head to one side in thought, almost halting when he heard Lahar's office door open. Given how Laxus had attacked Phantom Lord with no provocation, the entire Magic Council would be on the side of Phantom Lord and Jose Porla, and Ediltrudis couldn't do anything to help him. Although, as much as he didn't want any action to be action against Fairy Tail, there was one thing Ediltrudis could do. He hummed in consideration as she waited for his reply with a half-smile and then looked up at her, "If I remember correctly, your unit is in charge of detaining mages at the highest risk of beginning to purposefully endanger the lives of multiple people or becoming a dark mage, watching them over a long period of time through surveillance. Ah, yes, it is. I'd like you to assign several Rune Knights under your command to watch Laxus Dreyar. Make sure they go incognito so he can't recognize them on sight. As much as I don't want you to do this, I can't let my friendship with Makarov get in the way off watching his dangerous and reckless grandson."

"Incognito surveillance on Laxus Dreyar? I'll get to it and hopefully start having him being watched by next week on this day. I'll produce six squads of five undercover Rune Knights to watch him over a period of three years, but I'll extend their mission duration if necessary. And I'll give them permission to take action against Laxus, detaining him, if he steps out of line again. Also, good luck with the Magic Council, see ya." Bidding him a farewell, Ediltrudis took an immediate U-turn and greeted Lahar as she passed him, heading towards the main barracks of the 2nd Custody Enforcement Unit. It didn't take long for Lahar to match his stride and pace, but Yajima saw the meaningful stare that the younger man gave him. Laxus Dreyar and Fairy Tail _would_ be punished and there was nothing he could do about it. For such a young person who wasn't bulky in any way, Lahar was quite intimidating. Someone like him would make a great Chairman of the Magic Council.

* * *

(Within the Phantom Lord subdivision/Rune Knight Boot Camp and Training Ground, Crocus, Kingdom of Fiore - Early Evening)

Huiqing sagged into her seat and wiped the back of her hand against her forehead, exhausted from her battle with Masika. Said mage was sat opposite her with an ecstatic grin on her face as another mage used a dry cloth to wipe sweat and great off her forehead. Their battle had taken up to four hours, mostly being stalemate where neither could gain an advantage over the other for slightly over three hours. It eventually broke with a bit of 'help' from both sides - alongside encouragement from their guild-mates and Balderich - and the fight would soon end in a tie. Her magical reserves were almost fully depleted and she'd only be exerting her magic power if she released her Second Origin. But that would be pretty pointless. The Second Origin wasn't meant to be opened when a mage was nearly out of magic, since there could be adverse aftereffects from flooding the body with highly concentrated magic after using up the initial lot, but only when they were being overpowered and needed a desperate boost in power.

"That was... amazing. You've definitely gotten stronger. Normally, our fights would last between one to two hours. At one point, I was considering whether to release my Second Origin, but I think that would've made our fight even longer as you would've simply released yours in retaliation, and I've seen firsthand what you can do with your magic when you release yours." She huffed out with a big smile on her face, sounding breathless as she emptied the bottle of water that had been given to her. Through her exhaustion, Huiqing noted that Ryos' sizeable magic power was approaching the subdivision - heck, if it wasn't for the fact that she'd been able to convince Balderich to not storm out of the subdivision building and subdue the source of highly noticeable and fluctuating magic power, Ryos would have a very concerned Balderich Wilhelm coming down on him like a ton of bricks and explosive lacrima.

Telling Masika that she'd be back in a moment, although her friend seemed to have noticed Ryos' vast magic power. The poor kid. It was like he was walking around in the night, carrying a huge, glowing sign with the words 'Hey look, I'm over here' on it. Until he had practice with lowering the amount of magic power he was constantly releasing and learned to effectively suppress it, he wouldn't be able to hide his magical signature from anyone. Noticing several other mages appearing to be confused about the increasingly noticeable magic power, Huiqing headed over to the doors of the subdivision building and waited to open them once Ryos' was right outside. Her gaze was immediately fixed onto the oversized egg that he was carrying in a water lily crafted from wood, and she also noticed that he appeared to have gotten into some trouble of sorts - that presumably being the reason why his magic power had been flaring up earlier.

Carefully taking the egg and keeping one hand at its base as he thrust it out to her with shaky arm, Huiqing smiled at the thirteen year old and let him in, giggling slightly as he flopped into the nearest chair. She said, "Well, Ryos, welcome to Phantom Lord. This isn't the official building, but we'll still be able to welcome you here and give you your guild mark."

* * *

(Lorraine's Dorm Room, Oak Town, Kingdom of Fiore - Slightly Earlier)

She wasn't going anywhere for a couple of days. Lorraine was going to stay in her room and do a little exercise whilst allowing her still somewhat sore and achey body to recuperate from Laxus' attack - well, at least according to Astrid. Anything intense, especially sparring, was out of the question and that left her with jogging on the spot, sit-ups, and press-ups. Astrid had stated that the magical lightning she'd been struck with contained a draconian element, apparently making it remarkably similar to Gajeel's Iron Dragon Slayer Magic, and if the wise bird was giving her advice and telling her to rest up for a few days, then Lorraine was going to do exactly like that. Besides, other than actually getting something done and accomplished during the day, staying and stretching out the kinks in the muscles was the best feeling in the world.

The nineteen year old felt herself about to nod off and go to sleep, but Gajeel's sudden snickering and obnoxious voice, coming directly from outside her door, rudely interrupted her peace and quiet. All she could, "Oi, Lorraine, you better rest your ass for a good couple of days because you and I are gonna be going on a job. Gihihihihihi. Get well quick, we're gonna kick ass, Shubiduba, Shubiduba Biduba, Shubiduba Shubiduba, Biduba, Shubiduba Biduba Shubiduba..."

 _'Heavens above, please, strike me down now.'_

* * *

 **A/N: And there's Chapter 11 for you guys. Sorry for the long wait, writer's block is the very embodiment of evil itself. The sudden influx of reviews for Chapter 10 were amazing. Don't forget to follow, review, and favourite.**


	12. Chapter 12

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

* * *

"We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special." - Professor Stephen William Hawking; January 8, 1942 - March 14, 2018.

* * *

Chapter 12.

(23rd June X779, PL subdivision in Crocus, Kingdom of Fiore)

"So, Ryos, how do you feel being a member of Phantom Lord?" Huiqing asked the thirteen year old as he sat opposite her, sandwich in hand as his large egg sat on the seat next to him, shuddering slightly every now and again. The young man had become quite the enigma in the subdivision, his unique abilities even managed to catch the interest of Balderich. A lot of people had met Gajeel Redfox of the Black Steel, an Iron Dragon Slayer, but they'd always thought that the fourteen year old was one of a kind. Now they had a Shadow Dragon Slayer amongst their ranks, and Ryos had managed to fit in quite well into the subdivision. He had no issue with the Rune Knights who routinely came in and out of the guild, had made an impression on everyone by fighting one of their top mages to a standstill and ending it in a tie, was surprisingly sociable when you were able to get him to talk - he was the sort who would normally keep to himself - and he was very protective of his egg, not taking lightly to jokes of cracking it open and making scrambled eggs out of the contents.

With an appearance that was much more presentable than the first time he came into the subdivision, Ryos had also gained several fan-girls from female mages his own age and even those older than him, but he had stated how he wasn't interested in having a partner of any sorts until he was at least seventeen. His hair was much more cleaner than before, having been vigorously washed and cleaned out by Huiqing, but he preferred to keep it messy. He didn't smile or laugh much, usually keeping on a calm face and rarely showing any emotions, although he practically broke down upon telling her how he killed his ill dragon parent, Skiadrum. His red eyes were a lots less intimidating than the red eyes that Gajeel possessed, although that was probably because he didn't have a semi-permanent glare attached to his face - his being more warm and welcoming that the Iron Dragon Slayer's.

His guild mark had been stamped onto his left shoulder and his attire, having been explicitly chosen by him and brought from a designer shop by Huiqing and Masika, consisted of a long, black cape reaching down to his feet, with golden edges, a much lighter collar circling his neck, and a prominent white ribbon hanging down on his chest. Such cape had a light Phantom Lord symbol on it, almost in correspondence to the guild mark on Ryos' left shoulder. Below it, Ryos was wearing a plain gray shirt with prominent brown cuffs and what looks like a large metal band circling each of his biceps. From a light sash circling his waist hangs a distinctive, pale blue cloth waistguard, consisting of four long pieces of cloth reaching down below his knees. Each of these pieces is adorned by a large, dark cross with fan-shaped arms. Below such waistguard, Ryos wears a pair of armored boots, which, on the front, bear plates bearing the very same motif which appears on the waist-guard. All in all, he looked ready for business and capable of taking on anything that life threw at him.

Outside of his fight with the Phantom Lord mage that ended with a tie, Ryos had shown himself to be more than capable of handling and taking care of himself when going up against an A-class monster. He'd taken Huiqing to the area where he fought a hellhound, showing her the damage the monster had caused to the clearing and telling her how it verbally spoke to him, and singlehandedly took care of a large monster that ambushed them. She also discovered that Ryos suffered from motion sickness when they briefly took a train to another part of Fiore, resulting in him feeling sick for the entire time the train was moving and being unable to do anything but groan in discomfort as he lay in his head in Huiqing's lap. She found it incredibly cute, almost squealing with glee when he lay his head in her lap, but he appeared to be really embarrassed about it - refusing to talk about it for an entire day, but she assured him that it was nothing to be ashamed about as everyone had their own faults, such as herself who was allergic to all kinds of shellfish.

Since Ryos, a Dragon Slayer and a considerably powerful mage, suffered from motion sickness, Huiqing couldn't help but wonder whether Phantom Lord's resident Iron Dragon Slayer, Gajeel Redfox, also suffered from motion sickness. He probably did, but was just too stubborn and prideful to admit it. Gajeel's pride would probably crumble and burn if people found out that his weakness was being crammed inside a moving vehicle. Other than that, Huiqing had also found out that Ryos had implanted a Shadow Dragon lacrima into his body after waking up on July 7, X777, apparently boosting his already powerful capabilities and turning him into what his dragon parent apparently called a 'Third Generation Dragon Slayer'. Unbeknownst to her, Ryos was also thinking the same thing about Wendy Marvell, the cute and innocent seven year old Sky Dragon Slayer whom he had briefly protected and deposited to Cait Shelter.

"I feel like I have a purpose in life and that I'm apart of something much bigger. And for that, I must thank you and Balderich for accepting me into Phantom Lord. And admittedly, I am rather excited to meet Master Jose Porla someday, but not too soon. I'd like to stay here for a while before making my way to the subdivision located in Oak Town. I am also grateful for finally being able to consume proper full meals, one that doesn't require me to be quiet and hunt for several hours, and being able to get a good nights rest without having to worry about being suddenly brought out of my slumber by a monster." Ryos said, giving Huiqing a smile before before briefly glancing at his egg. As overprotective as he may be about his egg, Ryos had already grown to trust Balderich and Huiqing to look after his egg whenever he wasn't around to look after it. Also, although most of the people in the building had no business with his egg, they were all curious to see what creature might emerge from it. Many betted on what kind of creature they thought would hatch from it.

The highest bets were placed on a magical feline-like creature, a magical canine-like creature, some kind of snake, or any kind of bird. Ryos personally hoped it was a feline-like creature. He didn't know why, since he didn't have any particular liking towards cats, but something inside him really wanted a cat - magical or not - to hatch and emerge from the egg.

* * *

(Outside the Phantom Lord subdivision, Oak Town, Kingdom of Fiore)

With the sun high in the sky, although a few clouds were dotted around here and there, and the sun relentlessly bearing down on them with its heat, Lorraine and Gajeel stood outside the subdivision building with the latter holding the job sheet in his right hand. Whilst his teammate had been recovering from Laxus' attack, Gajeel had gone on a few missions by himself and sparred a couple of times with Aria and Totomaru - ending the fights against both men with ties, something Gajeel didn't like but was able to respect. "So, Hargeon Town is pretty far from here so we're gonna be taking the train there... and our job is to take care of a couple of dark guilds that have set themselves up in the forests around the northern outskirts of the town. The Magic Council doesn't really care about them, so they're probably nothing to worry about, but don't think I'm carrying your ass back if you get hurt. The pay for this job is 337,000 jewels. We're gonna go in hard and take those bastards out."

Nudging Gajeel and stepping away as he gave a harsh nudge back, a smile graced Lorraine's face as they began to walk towards Oak Town station, ignoring the pitying looks that many nearby residents were giving them. News of Laxus' attack on the Phantom Lord subdivision in Magnolia Town had quickly spread like an uncontrollable wildfire and many ordinary news agents had begun theorizing about whether the Phantom 'Empire' was reaching it's limits and beginning to collapse, soon to be replaced by the likes of Fairy Tail with Laxus Dreyar in charge. Giving Gajeel a thumbs up, she said, "Hey, give me a break, Laxus is on a whole different level to me. And don't forget that before I came to Oak Town and joined Phantom Lord, I used to hunt dangerous monsters on a regular basis. If I can handle big monsters that would go on a rampaging streak through a civilian market, then I'm sure that I'll be able to handle a few punks who thought that becoming a dark mage was cool. Besides, I could take them out without my noticing that I was there."

"Bullshit." Gajeel stopped in his tracks at what he registered as a boast, giving Lorraine a slightly confused and challenging look. The nineteen year old smirked in reply as her current choice of attire flashed, engulfed with the usual light that came with employing Requip, and was replaced by something different and very badass. She now wore thick robes which appeared to have been made from a lightweight and flexible material, presumably allowing for easy movement while fighting and performing acrobatic manoeuvres such as flips. He could see a metal mesh shirt worn beneath the robes, probably to be a layer providing slight protection. The main body of the robes are leaf green with the lines of the zip being coloured brown and a light brown Phantom Lord symbol has been styled over where her left breast would be. The sleeves of the robes are a lighter green colouring and the cuffs are dark purple - almost black.

A hood, designed so it partly protrudes forwards like the top beak of a bird, is pinned down to the robes, has a blood red interior and a dark green exterior. She even turned, allowing him to see the back of the outfit. Diagonally styled, and in black, along the back of the robes is the word 'Huntress.' As he continued to stare at her, Gajeel narrowed his eyes when he noticed how Lorraine appeared to be blending in with the background, almost as if she was a chameleon. Playfully waving a hand in front of his face, Lorraine began to answer some of the question that she guessed were flying around in that head of his, "I had this designed and crafted the same year that I became a professional hunter. You'd be surprised how helpful this thing has been when it came to hunting down animals and monsters. Without this, animals and monsters would've already noticed me through their sense of hearing or sight and ran away before I got a chance to shoot them."

"That actually looks pretty sick, but the way you're blending in with the background behind you is somewhat dizzying. Does it have a name? I mean most people don't name their clothes, but it's a Requip attire and it's cool enough to have a name, right?" Gajeel questioned as they began to walk again, giving Lorraine's combat attire an appreciative look, and noticing how before they started walking again, several passing residents of Oak Town were giving them confused and somewhat baffled looks, almost as they weren't sure whether they were actually looking at someone or not. Lorraine nodded as a giggle slipped past her lips, "Yeah, the name is pretty lame, but I call it the Aimpoint Archeress Outfit. I'll probably change that if I can think of something better to call it. I can blend in with my surroundings as long as I don't make any sudden movement, so I have to move slowly when wearing it, and it dampens a lot of sound that I'd make if I wasn't wearing it, allowing me to move almost completely silently."

Demonstrating what she meant while they were walking, she lightly stomped on the ground and even with his enhanced hearing, Gajeel struggled to hear her footsteps unless he focused really intently. He was grateful when she summoned her usual attire, since it was beginning to weird him out when he could barely hear her footsteps, even though she was walking right next to him. Glancing down at his dark and scruffy attire, the Iron Dragon Slayer wondered if he needed a set of clothes that'd be worn whenever he was gonna fight someone. He didn't mind getting his clothes damaged, since he could always pay to have it fixed or simply replace it, but he wasn't on board the prospect of fighting a worthy enemy without any clothes on because they'd been completely ruined and destroyed.

As they walked through the entrance of the train station, Gajeel shuddered as he readied himself for his inevitable humiliation and he thought back on what Master Jose had told Phantom Lord whilst Lorraine recovered. The Magic Council had planned to severely punish Fairy Tail and Laxus Dreyar - slapping a lesser punishment onto the former - and one of the members, and old man called Yajima, and had been able to convince them not to take any action against either, although Laxus had been threatened with having his magic sealed away and being imprisoned for life if he did something like that again. Jose had been positively furiously, nearly leveling the building in his anger, but simmered down a little when Balderich told him that one of the Custody Enforcement Units would be watching Laxus for an indefinite amount of time, effectively turning 'secret' moves into valuable pieces of information.

He and Lorraine paid for their train tickets - after Gajeel was not-so-gentle in asking for them - and they waited for a few minutes for the train to arrive. The fourteen year old thought back to the Aimpoint Archeress Outfit that his teammate had in her possession. It was a useful tool, but it would be incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands - although he doubted that the taller mage would let anyone steal it, at least not before letting loose an arrow into their kneecaps or baby-making parts. He cringed at the thought, discreetly moving his hands to cover his junk, and he noticed that Lorraine seemed to have a _thing_ for shooting people's knees out, or at least threatening to do so. Gajeel really hoped arrows through the knees weren't the key to get 'her gears' moving. Master Jose was enough of an unstable psychopath, and another wasn't on his list of 'must have'... and he was was promptly brought out of his thoughts as Lorraine spoke.

"Gajeel, about your Iron Dragon Slayer Magic, what does it feel like when your eject iron from your mouth or turn parts of your body into iron?" She asked as the train pulled up to the platform and the doors slid open. As they got on, Gajeel considered knocking her out before the train could start moving, but decided against it. Lorraine wasn't a girly girl who wouldn't be afraid to hit him back and Gajeel didn't want to end up at the mercy of a maniac who'd put an arrow through his knee, and he needed someone to drag his sick self off the train once it stopped moving. He crossed his arms, "I don't really feel anything. The Iron Dragon's Roar feels like a combination of violent vomiting and a forceful exhale, but I've gotten used to the sensation, and the Club just feels like my arm is really cold and hard. It was weird the first few times I used those techniques, but I got past it quickly."

As the train doors closed and the driver announced the next destination, Lorraine watched as Gajeel deeply inhaled a couple of times. He seemed to be worried or nervous about something, but she couldn't figure out what it was, and for the sake of his ironclad pride, wasn't going go ask him. She'd let the fourteen year old tell her in his own time. The compartment that they were in jolted, and to Lorraine's surprise, Gajeel suddenly groaned - precarious leaning to one side as his face turned a dark shade of green. The nineteen year old wondered what was going on, until it clicked in her head when - as the compartment jolted again - Gajeel groaned once more. Disbelief masked every other emotion that would've appeared on Lorraine's face in that moment and laying there, Gajeel looked like any other vulnerable fourteen year old child with a bad stomach infection. She wondered if any other Phantom Lord members knew about this, and he'd kill her if she vocalised it, but the raven-haired teen looked rather cute in his current predicament.

She scooted closer to where he was sitting and gently rested one of her hands against Gajeel's forehead. The young man groaned in protest, unable to do anything else to express his displeasure towards being coddled like a baby. His forehead was warmer than usual, but nowhere near to the feeling of burning up that fevers caused. With her free hand and eliciting another groan of protest whilst doing so - Gajeel could get her back later for it - Lorraine ran her free hand through Gajeel's wild mane of hair, expecting it to be incredibly knotted and rough. To her surprise, it was quite smooth and free of any knots. Gajeel clearly looked after his hair, which was quite a revelation since he looked like the sort of guy who'd be fine with whatever state it was in, and Lorraine cocked her head to one side, "Gajeel... are you suffering from motion sickness? I'm not mocking you or anything like that, as much as I'd like to, but is this a common problem for you whenever you get on board a viable method of transportation?"

"N-No, d-don't mind m-me, I'm a-absolutely fine. Pheh, m-me, get m-motion sickness? N-No way, I-I'm way above s-such pitiful conditions." Gajeel replied, trying to appear defiant, but Lorraine wasn't having any of it. She extracted her hand from his hair and quickly scooted away when his cheeks puffed up like an inflated balloon or startled pufferfish, indicating that he was about to empty the contents of his stomach all over the floor of the train compartment, but gingerly returned to her original position when Gajeel used every ounce of willpower to swallow the vomit back down. His efforts were nearly undone when the compartment jolted again, more sharply than the last time, eliciting another nauseating groan of Gajeel. Contrary to the tough look that was usually on the Iron Dragon Slayer's face, he currently looked highly distressed and anything but tough, but managed to shoot a glare at her as - in a minor attempt to make him feel a little better - she wrapped one of her arms around Gajeel's shoulders and brought him closer so he was practically leaning on her.

 **" _I don't know much about you humans, but p_ _erhaps he'd feel better if he was laying down..?"_** Astrid offered and Lorraine internally thanked the phoenix for the suggestion. The damn punk would lay down and have his head resting on her lap unless he wanted arrows to both of his knees... or maybe a threat to the achilles tendon would be much better at convincing him. Unless they really wanted to be slower at everything that required the use of feet, walking/jogging/etc, nobody would stand up and challenge a threat to the achilles tendon, not even someone as hardheaded and stubborn as Gajeel.

Shifting so she was almost pressing herself against the wall, Lorraine turned Gajeel's body - ignoring his protesting groans as she did so - and maneuvered him into laying on the seat, with his head resting in her lap and face directed towards the ceiling. The Iron Dragon Slayer struggled against her for a few minutes, even continuing through another sharp jolt of the train compartment, and Lorraine directed fake smiles to many of the watching passengers who were beginning to believe that they were watching a kidnapping taking place. Then, she directed a half-hearted glare at the unfortunate fourteen year old and in the sweetest voice that she could muster, hissed, "Gajeel, you'll cease your squirming this instant or I'll shove arrows through your 'baby-maker' and kneecaps. You might not have total use for the former right now, but you'll definitely want to keep the latter if you still want to walk around."

Gajeel immediately stopped squirming, not even making a peep as the train compartment jolted again. Lorraine was such a troublesome woman. She was more troublesome than Huiqing.

* * *

(Hargeon Town Station - 2 hours, 45 minutes later)

As soon as the train ground to a halt next to the station platform and the doors slid open, Lorraine moved Gajeel into a seated position and then carried him out before dumping him onto the ground, knowing he wouldn't like to be carried around for too long. He grunted, smirking as he felt the nauseous sensation of motion sickness leave him. Picking himself up, he inquired what their first course of action should be, assuming they should immediately notify the Mayor of Hargeon Town about their arrival and intention to deal with the dark mage problem, but Lorraine had other ideas - wanting to go to a store for magical products instead. As they walked out of the train station, Gajeel noticed that Hargeon Town was mostly grey - thanks to all of the stone buildings - with the only bit of greenery being a park and the glittering ocean lined the horizon in the southeast, the latter marred by a few cruise ships. He wasn't really much of a sightseer, as very few things tended to catch his attention and Gajeel was the sort who preferred to get things done over checking out much of his surroundings.

"Hargeon Town doesn't get much tourist attention, but given what it has and how prosperous it is, it doesn't need the extra money. This place is just behind the likes of Crocus, Magnolia and Oak Town, and Akane Beach in terms of wealth. Everyone here is middle-class or upper-class, so _expect_ to be looked down upon - and by that I mean 'refrain yourself from beating somebody's face in - by many of the residents who believe that mages are economically and intellectually inferior to them, hence why only 10% can use magic but not on the scale that you and I can." Lorraine said and Gajeel grunted, itching for someone to look at him the wrong way so he could knock their lights out, lawsuits against him and Phantom Lord be damned. Besides, after the heavy education he received from Masika and Huiqing, he knew about Hargeon Town's wealth and how it came to be through the local Magic Shop, the sizeable fishing industry, and the many other businesses including charity and theatre owners. If it wanted too, Hargeon Town could easily become a self-sustaining city-state.

"You weren't nearby when I spoke to Sue and Totomaru about this, but I have three customized bows that stand out from the rest. Granted, I only have one of them in my arsenal right now, since the other two have been ordered - one of them should be in production and nearly ready as we speak. As fighting experts would say 'you've always got to have an ace up your sleeve'. Lorraine stated as they walked into a store called the Proper Grocer. The building, which appeared to have a second floor, was painted blue and had a couple of double glazed windows. The interior was a simple as the exterior but lacked a covering of blue paint, and as he entered after Lorraine, Gajeel took a look at some of the stuff in the store. There were several books detailing many different types of magic, books about the history of magic and the Kingdom of Fiore and Ishgar, a stunning Celestial Spirit Key, and many types of weapons. He heard Lorraine say, "Hey, Ziai, how's my custom bow going? Been giving you a hard time?"

Ziai was a decidedly-older looking man - probably somewhere in his late-fifties to early-sixties - with two sections of grey hair that protrude entirely horizontally from either side of his head, giving him the appearance of someone with really bad fashion sense when it came to their hair management. He was clean-shaven and has thick lips, small black eyes and a nose that largely resembled that of a pig's snout. It was so distinctive that it was difficult to avoid without staring directly at it and suppressing a laugh. Clearly, with that nose, Ziai might not have been successful with many woman when he was a young man and in the prime of his life. He was currently wearing a dark, almost rusty coloured, gold shirt and a dark green hat which has a pointed tip with a yellow star on the front. He smiled warmly upon seeing his customer, Ah, Lorraine, out of all the requests I've gotten, this one has been the most difficult. For a bow as complex as the Dragon Scale, I'm only halfway through. However, I will assure you that for what you paid, you'll find it completely worth your while. Other than that, who's your friend and what guild have you joined?"

Lorraine dragged a complaining Gajeel over, ignoring the curses that flew from his mouth and drew the attention of many of the other customers - probably mages who were picking out an item that would help them on the start of their magical adventure. Some of those who had parents accompanying them, those closer to the age range of ten to fourteen, had their ears covered in an attempt to protect them from the swear words. Others simply chose to abandon what they were doing and flee the shop entirely. Waving off the customers to mind their business, Ziai hid a smile behind a disapproving frown; clearly able to see that they had a budding and growing love-hate relationship. Gajeel, dark and moody git that he was, grumbled to himself as he was planted in front of Ziai who gave him a thumbs up. Lorraine ruffled Gajeel's hair, ignoring the growl that tore through his throat as she answered the above question, "Ziai, I'd like you to meet my teammate of less than a week: Gajeel Redfox, fourteen year old Iron Dragon Slayer, otherwise known as the Black Steel of Phantom Lord."

"Gajeel Redfox - _The_ Black Steel of Phantom Lord? I've heard so much about you and always wanted to meet you, but I just didn't expect you to be so young and so small." Ziai said and almost devolved into a sputtering mess when Gajeel glared at him, feeling as if the young man was staring into his soul with those red eyes of his. Lorraine slapped him over the head, ordering him to play nice and not scare off the shopkeeper. As the Iron Dragon Slayer uttered a multitude of curses underneath his breath, Lorraine thanked the shopkeeper for the update about her ordered bow and dragged Gajeel out of the store. Once they were out of hearing distance of anyone inside Proper Grocer, an expectant stare was fixed on him and Gajeel crossed his arms, "I can't believe he pointed out how young and short I am. And elders complain about to us about how we're the disrespectful bunch. If that was anyone else, I would've broken his nose and smashed up his shop. Asshole, gihihihihihi, now I have more of a reason to take out my frustration on those dark mages."

Lorraine sweatdropped at his eagerness to beat up a bunch of people, even if they were a bunch of people who intended to hurt people and wreak havoc for the hell of it. They definitely both had issues of their own. She, apparently, had a fascination for causing grievously bodily harm by firing arrows through kneecaps while Gajeel seemed to enjoy fighting and beating up people for the hell of it. Phantom Lord was definitely full of weirdos, with the exception of Totomaru and Huiqing, and the psychotic atmosphere really had an effect on newcomers - herself being an example of that.

"Excuse me, ma'am, do you know where the Mayor of Hargeon Town lives?" Lorraine asked a passing old woman. The greying woman smiled at Lorraine at pointed towards the west, where a tall building - the tallest in Hargeon Town which didn't mean much since most of the buildings in the town were rather short - was located. Thanking the supposedly mute woman, Lorraine and Gajeel walked over to the tall building. They noticed some people watching them curiously, probably wondering if they were siblings who were taking a stroll around Hargeon Town. As the walked up to the Mayor's building and knocked on the door, Lorraine took charge of doing so as she didn't trust the Iron Dragon Slayer to immediately knock down the door and demand at the top of his lungs for the mayor, Gajeel took out the piece of paper which detailed the job description. As the Mayor of Hargeon Town opened the door, presenting a male in the prime of his life to the duo, Gajeel presented the job paper to him. With a deadpan expression that made Lorraine facepalm at his _'hilarious_ ' antics, he said, "Mages of Phantom Lord, Gajeel Redfox of the Black Steel and Lorraine Xanthine, here to deal with your dark mage problem."

The Mayor of Hargeon Town, Shokori Noi, was a slim built man in his early-forties with slicked back black hair that was already starting to turn grey - probably due to the stress that came with being in a political position within Fiore - and his eyes were a warm brown colour, which seemed ironic given that his presence nor his eyes didn't seem to be emitting any kind of warm vibes at this moment. He was fair skinned - almost bordering on the line of being pale - had thin lips which were pressed into a hard line of concentration and like Ziai, was clean shaven. He wore a smart pinstriped suit with a dark blue tie over the shirt worn underneath, crisps pants that one would expect to wear at many formal occasions and black shoes which shone with hours of careful polishing. Gajeel noticed that Shokori possessed enough magic power that would allow him to pass as a B-Class Mage, indicating that the older man could handle himself in a short fight. He glanced over Lorraine without a second thought, barely acknowledging her presence - causing her to bristle in irritation at being overlooked but guessed that it was to be expected everytime she and Gajeel met someone who knew who the latter was.

She might be older than him, but Gajeel was the one with a nickname and fame as one of Phantom Lord's top mages. For all they knew, she was a nobody and Gajeel's apprentice. The idea of being a trainee to someone younger than her was laughable, largely because such a thing would probably damage her pride.

"The Black Steel of Phantom Lord? It must be my lucky day, I was half expecting a Fairy idiot to show up. A pleasure to meet you and I'm delighted to make your acquaintance." Shokori said as approval flickered to life in his eyes and he gave the fourteen year at curt nod of respect. Gajeel smirked at the Fairy idiot comment, guessing that Shokori knew about Fairy Tail's highly destructive antics or had experienced it sometime in the past. The biggest offenders, much to the dismay of many Phantom Lord mages, were Laxus Dreyar who seemed to believe that he could get away with anything thanks to his status as a S-Class Mage and the grandson of Makarov Dreyar, Natsu Dragneel who seemed to be an obvious idiot who couldn't help but incinerate everything around him in his ecstatic excitement during battle, and Gray Fullbuster who had a stripping habit and the problem of indiscriminately incasing and freezing everything in ice. Gildarts was a whole different ball game, casually obliterating towns and mountains wherever he went, and the only Fairies who actually tried to uphold a reputation of not being a destructive maniac was Erza Scarlet and to a lesser extent, her rival - Mirajane Strauss, which should be an impossible task for The Demon when one takes her incredible powerset into careful consideration.

"So, can you give us any information on these dark mages that have apparently set up a base near this town?" Lorraine asked and Shokori gave her a stiff nod. Clearly, someone needed to pull out whatever 8ft stick someone had shoved up his arse in order to get him to relax and stop looking down at her like she was stain that he'd found on his suit or the bottom of his shoes, but an arrow to the valuable place might just do the trick. She ignored the way Gajeel gave her a wary glance, his sensitive hearing obviously allowing him to pick up her increased heart rate and slightly hostile tone. She had a lot of patience for other people, but snobbish pricks who thought they could demand respect without doing anything to deserve it and thought they were entitled to do whatever they wanted got nothing from her. Shokori adjusted his tie and spoke in a dry monotone, sounding like he couldn't believe that he had no other choice but to speak to someone who, compared to him, was as wealthy as a peasant.

"These dark guilds has chosen to join together, mostly likely to bolster their capabilities when they decide to carry out whatever vile operation they have planned. Several times, they've raided Proper Grocer - claiming that they're looking for a special object, some kind of magical flute, with the intention to give it to a group known as Eisenwald. Rune Knights, despite being specially trained to deal with normal and dark mages, seem to particularly useless in doing anything. It's laughable how they're considered to be the Armed Forces of Fiore when they can't even deal with internal strife. Anywho, we know that there are fourteen members, but it's more than possible that there are more unobserved members. In their possession, they have several magical weapons that would typically be used by A-Class Mages, and their located in the forests near the train tracks." Shokori said and before the duo could head out to complete their job, he cleared his throat and waved them back with a dry smirk on his face, probably thinking about the impulsiveness and eagerness of youngsters.

Gajeel and Lorraine waited for the rest of the information about the dark mages, with the latter's cheeks being stained a light pink in embarrassment. It didn't help that Astrid was also calling her out on her impulsiveness. The dry smirk didn't vanish from Shokori's face as he continued, "Essentially, you'll want to 'retrace your steps' and in due time, you'll come across a run-down building that - before being occupied by these dark mages - had been abandoned and left to nature about thirty years ago. It's the only building that can be located near the train tracks, so you shouldn't miss it, although given how impulsive you both seem to be, I wouldn't be surprised if you did. Youngsters these days seem to be unable to follow instructions and can't read or use a map and compass, have no patience and didn't posssess any sense of spatial awareness. Pity really. You'd think they'd get themselves killed more often, especially with the ones who think it's ballsy to ignore their fear in the face of life-threatening danger. Now, off you go. I'll be waiting right here for you. And please, for heavens sake - especially you Mr. Redfox, don't go and get yourselves killed. Explaining that to your parents and Mr. Porla would be rather troublesome."

* * *

 **A/N: And here's Chapter 12 to you guys. Once again, I apologise for the long wait between chapters, but I had college stuff to deal with and a mean case of writers block. Happy late-Easter and don't forget to follow, review and favourite. I love you all, don't abandon me please.**


	13. Chapter 13

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

* * *

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." - Leonardo da Vinci

* * *

Chapter 13.

"That obnoxious, self-entitled prick. At least he wasn't entirely rude, but someone like him is the sort that deserves an arrow up the behind. If it wasn't for his dry humor at the end, I would've done it, charges and lawsuits against Phantom Lord be damned. I was surprised that you hadn't lashed out at him, but perhaps motion sickness did something to your brain. But still, the next asshole who speaks to me like that is getting a 9ft arrow up the ass, no questions asked and no threats made beforehand." Lorraine muttered darkly to herself as she and Gajeel trudged along the train tracks - something they'd been doing for the past twenty minutes without any glimpse of a lone, run-down building - which had previously been occupied by the train that had taken them to Hargeon Town.

The fourteen year old made sure to keep a good distance between them, just so he could react in case he accidentally said something that she didn't like and responded _inappropriately_. He quietly snickered at her ranting, finding the spectacle of a supposedly _mature_ person not acting how they should for their age.

"If this is you when someone pisses you off - consequently tearing down your good mood and spoiling the rest of your day - I can't wait to see it more often. I mean, I've seen Master Jose in a bad mood, and while he does his psychotic ranting, I've never heard something as eloquent as shoving a 9ft arrow up someone's ass. The mental image it conjures is both disgusting and highly amusing. Gihihihihihi, don't release all your anger by ranting about some stuffy old man with a superiority complex. Save it for those dark mages we're about to absolutely ruin, they'll never know what's coming." Gajeel said with a wide smirk, watching a Lorraine's temper died down a little.

Clearly, she was all up for the idea of taking out her anger on punks on the wrong side of the law, and although he enjoyed fighting, he wouldn't mind hanging back, watching as a camouflaged and near-invisible Lorraine hunted and dumped arrows into more than unfortunate dark mages. The screams of pain, resulting from arrows being released into kneecaps and other delicate places, would be nothing more than music to his ears.

"Yeah, you're right. And as I thought to myself earlier, you're the one with international fame across Fiore - the Black Steel of Phantom Lord - so it was to be expected that a client would be more interested in you than they would be with me, a Phantom Lord mage with no title. I'm going to go in like a ghost and scare the absolute shit out of them - of course, with arrows to the knees - and in case any of them try to escape, you'll be responsible for bringing them down. Heh, could you imagine that, I get called something like the Huntress or Ghost of Phantom Lord. I'd prefer the former, but wouldn't mind the latter." Lorraine said, slightly surprised when Gajeel agreed to the plan- since she knew that he enjoyed getting into the heat of battle - but smiled as she summoned a wicked looking longbow which was decorated with brown leather and bear engravings in the spaces.

The nineteen year old didn't know how strong these dark mages, but wasn't going to take them lightly, hence the summoned bow which was on the stronger side of the bows in her inventory.

"Anyways, I'm bored out of my mind, monsters aren't attacking us despite the opportunity for whatever passes as lunch or a big snack to them, and since this run-down building seems to be fuck knows where, why don't you tell me about your past. Despite what you said, I can deal with the _sensitive_ stuff. Heck, I wouldn't be friends with people like Huiqing if I couldn't. She might've gone to school, which seems to be a rarity amongst a lot of mages in guilds, but she's some shit - before attending the academy and after joining Phantom Lord. Just don't expect me to cry and coddle you" Gajeel stated, clapping his hands together and fixed his crimson gaze on Lorraine as they trudged along the side of the train tracks. She gave him a mock-wary glare of contempt and flipped the bird at him, retracting her hand as his own lashed out to grab and probably _accidentally_ break it, then casually shot a nearby rabbit with a magically produced arrow.

The strawberry blonde-haired female grinned at the shot and started, "Buckle up, it might be quite long, so try not to fall asleep. Also, for implying that I'm flimsy and emotionally fragile enough to cry as I recount my story, I won't catch you as you face-plant and break your pretty little nose. Now then, have you heard of Pharmacum Salvatores?" Lorraine asked, getting a nod from Gajeel.

"Yeah, they were some kind of notorious criminal origination that was at the peak of its power from the X740's to the X760's, but they began to lose their relevance in the criminal underworld around X764. I can't remember what they did to get on the watch list of the Magic Council, but they were apparently into doing some real shady stuff." He said, then crossed his arms as he waited for her to start.

"Okay, so Pharmacum Salvatores became infamous and made its dirty money by operating in the fields of sexual slavery and sex trafficking, weapon smuggling and drugs. My father was a member of the organization, being one of the top dogs who could only be told what to do by his equals and the boss. On the other hand, my mother was in it against her will. She was given away by an upper-class family who were about to have all their assets drained by the boss of Pharmacum Salvatores; essentially, like a peace offering. As my father was always away, carrying out important _business_ , it was my mother who raised me, and despite being the wife and daughter of one of the top ringleaders, we were commonly mistreated by many of the thugs whilst my father was out. One of them commonly threatened me differently from the others - although morals amongst men like those is expected to be absent - stating that I would be his _prize_ once I was old enough. Needless to say, I told my father about it and the cocky prick ended up dead, put to an end with a knife to the throat." Lorraine added, carefully watching as she gauged Gajeel's reaction which was one of surprise and pity.

Who knew the aloof and rough and tough Iron Dragon Slayer could pity someone else?

When he didn't say anything, Lorraine opted to continue as she guessed that Gajeel might be waiting to speak once he got the full story. "Fast-forward to X772, which was the year where I'd finally had my first period, and my mother quickly came to the realization that I might end up married off to one of the ringleaders, or assigned under my father where I might get placed in harms way. One night, my father had drank himself into a wasted state, for reasons unknown, and my mother declared that she was going to divorce him, take me with her, and seek protection from the organization by the Magic Council. Unfortunately, he wasn't drunk enough to be unable to understand what she was saying. In a fit of drunken rage, he smashed the bottle he was drinking from and shoved what was left into her face, severely disfiguring her, and then fell unconscious, probably due to the copious amount of alcohol in his system. Despite being admitted to the best doctors in the organization, she died from her injuries about a week afterwards. As you can probably expect, the twelve year old me wasn't mentally prepared for seeing the resulting aftermath. She continued, watching as Gajeel looked visibly sick.

Clearly, he hadn't seen what someone's face looked like after being savagely glassed either. He motioned for her to continue.

"A week after my mother died, I discovered my affinity for magic and fled from the organization. Even though it was my first home; thus, I didn't know any better about the world beyond Pharamacum Salvatores, I'm happy that I never looked back. Eventually, I came across an abandoned safe house in the middle of a godforsaken forest - cliché, I know - and it had some supplies and books about magic. I stayed there for about two months, only leaving once the supplies were starting to run dangerously low, and whilst travelling, committed myself to learning the magic in the books - Requip: The Archer, Arrow Magic, and Take Over, Mythic Soul, one of the most powerful variants behind God Soul and depending on the powers of the mythical creature that your using in battle, tied with Satan Soul. Later on, I would end up entering Habanera Town on January 6, X773. In Habanera Town, I was able to get myself a job - after a metric fuckton of pleading and begging - one that wasn't too physically demanding and gave good pay, and got herself a place of residence, brought out for six years. As I hadn't been properly uneducated throughout my time in the criminal organization, I joined the town's school before getting a job and home, learning about advanced communication and writing skills, science and mathematics, and more." Lorraine said, smiling as she thought back to her time in Habanera Town.

 _'She got taught in a school? Lucky her. I didn't know much shit after losing my dad on July 7, X777, and had to be tutored and educated by Jose, Totomaru, and Huiqing. Never again, Jose makes one scary fucking teacher, and to a certain extent, so does Huiqing."_ Gajeel thought, feeling slightly glad that the story was getting away from all the angst and emo-ness. Only he was allowed to be an edgy punk who brushed the line with emo. And there was no way in hell he was in gonna wear makeup if he actually went emo.

She continued with the description about her history prior to joining Phantom Lord, "And as you can expect from my time in school, there was the occasional bully - although they typically ended up being suspended after a while - and I made loads of friends with many of the other kids in Habanera Town. I had about thirteen friends, four being my closest, and I still keep in touch with some of them. One day, I'll take you to Habanera and introduce you to the people there. The residents aren't particularly big about magic, but they know all about it and mages, especially the famous ones. They all know about the likes of Makarov Dreyar, Totomaru, Gildarts Clive, yourself, and the antics of our guild and Fairy Tail's. Heck, in my second year of school, the parents of one of my friends even offered to adopt me. I turned them down, but I was really touched by the gesture. Anyway, by mid-X777, I became a professional hunter; hunting dangerous animals and monsters just for the thrill and adrenaline, and by the November of X777, I was gaining jewels by going on various low level jobs which needed to be completed by magical individuals. Fast-forward about one and a half years later, 13th June X779, and I'd departed from the town and headed for Phantom Lord."

Now that she was done, Gajeel couldn't help but smirk as he crossed his arms. He could hear people approaching, and it sounded like there was a lot of them and they were quite heavily armed, but that could wait. If they tried jumping them, they'd only find themselves getting knocked out, or if Lorraine was feeling crazy enough, then they'd end up crippled via arrows to the knee. He said, "Well, that wasn't as tragic and dramatic as I expected. Granted, your mother getting glassed in the face by your father was pretty fucking dramatic and admittedly shocking, but the rest wasn't as edgy as I thought it would be. A lot of mages tend to go through a lot of shit before joining a guild, normally shit that traumatizes the fuck out of them and defines their future self. Just look at Mirajane. Heck, look at me, my dragon - Metalicana - suddenly left me on July 7, X777, after a few years of being under his care and only being twelve years old, leaving me to fend for myself and make my way to civilization alone. If Jose hadn't found me after one of his meetings, I'd probably be dead because I ended up as monster chow. So yeah, not as tragic as you, but I was suddenly abandoned by the one who was my foster father. I don't know why he left, but I swear I'm gonna find the bastard and beat him senseless for leaving me."

Lorraine was ready to say something about that, but her incoming response died in her throat when she saw several people, all dressed like Rune Knights, appear from the tree-line behind Gajeel. The small group of seven ordered them to stay where they were and then approached the duo. It quickly became clear that they most certainly were Rune Knights, and were being led by a female who was probably a year younger than Lorraine. Her captivating eyes flickered with recognition when they landed on Gajeel, prompting Lorraine to just roll her eyes in annoyance, and the female nodded at the Iron Dragon Slayer. She was a young, petite woman with milk chocolate brown hair that is a little longer than a shoulder length, and stunning green eyes. Her attire was composed of the Rune Knight officer's uniform with a blue cloak, a beret, long black socks, and blue military boots alongside a uniform dress with a white collar and short red tie, with two long sleeves that have two heavy metal bands and a long red strap, white gloves and carries two giant and magical pistols holstered at her waistlines. Lorraine noticed that the young woman was, unfortunately, rather flat-chested. Literally, there were no bulges where her chest was, and Lorraine had to keep herself from snickering at her plight.

"Amber Celadon, Captain of the 5th Custody Enforcement Unit." Gajeel said, his voice gruff, but still had an underlying hint of respect.

"Mr Redfox of the Black Steel." Amber replied with a respectful nod. Then, she turned to Lorraine and briefly dropped her gaze to the sizeable chest of the nineteen year old, eyes flashing with jealously, "And you are?"

"Lorraine Xanthine. I recently joined Phantom Lord a few days ago. What were you guys doing around here? On a patrol?" She replied, crossing her arms and pushing her bosom up a little. Gajeel nudged his older teammate and coughed, hiding a snicker - something that the other Rune Knights copied - and Amber's green eyes flashed with restrained anger and frustration.

One of other Rune Knights stepped forwards and spoke before his Captain could furiously throttle the Phantom Lord mage over her chest issues, "Please don't tease our Captain over her... issues and do try to respect her. She was born to a family of distinguished Rune Knights who are extremely skilled gunslingers who have served the Council for generations, our Captain is known as the youngest Rune Knight to have held the position as Captain of the 5th Custody Enforcement Unit after she rose up in the ranks and excelled in her service and contributions to the Council, enough to get promoted into a Captain. So, not only does she outrank you, but she stands above you in social class. And yes, we're on a patrol. What are you doing? Seeking trouble?" He said, staring her down with his coffee brown eyes.

Upon hearing the thinly veiled threat, Lorraine dropped her arms to her sides as Amber lowered her gaze to the ground, "If 'seeking trouble' means going on a job to take out a couple of dark guilds who have merged together to retrieve a magical artifact and give it to Eisenwald, then yes. Um, if it doesn't inconvenience your patrol, could you help us out and arrest the bastards. I know Gajeel and I could probably take out the dark mages on our own, but I doubt having a little help would hurt, right. Besides, I really want to test out some Requip clothing against the dark mages. You lot could take out the stragglers and do what the Rune Knights usually do, arrest some bad idiots. The Mayor of Hargeon Town didn't tell us anything about their name, but they probably don't have one because they're fighting amongst each other to determine who leads the two of them. Also, we might need your help, since I can sense a powerful source of magic power nearby. Feels like an A-Class Mage, perhaps even a low S-Class. Also, Amber, I'm sorry for teasing you the way I did. I didn't expect you to react so angrily. That was a misstep on my part."

"Hm, I feel the magic power too and it feels very free. Almost like the wind. Although, it still retains incredible power, almost like a tornado or hurricane. And your apology is accepted, just don't tease me like that again." Amber replied, looking back up at Lorraine. Then, with a whistle and sharp tilt of the head from the young Captain of the 5th Custody Enforcement Unit, the group of nine headed off in the direction of the magic power. It was only a short walk, but it ended up feeling remarkably longer due to the awkward tension that was present between Amber and Lorraine.

After retracing their steps along the train tracks - and briefly having to move out of the way for a train that was leaving Hargeon Town - they came across a building that was exactly as it had been described by Shokori. It was certainly still run-down, having several smashed windows and half a front door, and it definitely had been left to the devices of nature, having vines reaching through the windows like long and lazy snakes, masses of moss growing all over the outside walls, and mushrooms - probably of the poisonous variety - of various sizes growing on the door. This place looked like it was the perfect place to shoot a horror movie, looked like it was haunted, and was the sort of place where nobody in their right of mind would try living in. Granted, dark mages weren't in their right of mind in the first place, we're they?

As they all stopped outside the damaged door and had a brief peek inside, Amber turned to Lorraine, "A scouting Rune Knight happened to overhear your plan whilst we were approaching. I see no problem with it. We'll surround the building to prevent any attempt of escape from these dark mages, and Mr Redfox can support us while we do so. Also, watch out for that individual for the magic power which stands out. If you can, I'd suggest that you take him out first."

Lorraine gave her a grateful nod, happy that the Rune Knights wouldn't disrupt her time to shine against a group of dark mages. After fighting low-level thugs and practically thoughtless monsters, this would be an new experience for the nineteen year old mage. When Amber whistled again, her Rune Knights spread out to surround the building and Lorraine gave Gajeel a smirk as she used Requip to change into her Aimpoint Archeress Outfit, then stepped through the broken part of the door.

* * *

(Within the run-down building, Outskirts of Hargeon Town, Kingdom of Fiore)

"Cease your incessant arguing amongst each other. It's rapidly getting on my nerves, makes you all sound like a bunch of incompetent children, and I assume that none of you - simply because you couldn't keep your mouths shut - wish to have your lives cut short? I wouldn't even bat an eyelid at the passing of any of you due to how many lives I've taken in the past." A seated man said, glaring at the fourteen dark mages from his position within the shadows. Due to the shadows keeping his form hidden, the only feature that could be seen were his dark eyes.

All arguing stopped and two men, the co-leaders of the new formed dark guild that had been created by the combination of two dark guilds, stepped forwards to the shadowed man. One of them averted eye contact by lowering his head and began grovelling like a desperate beggar, profusely apologising, almost begging for his life to be spared and allowed to continue, but the other dark mage summoned fire into the palm of his right hand - not realising that the man who'd silenced the others would actually go through with this death threat.

"Heh, you're bluffing. Creeps like you don't scare me." The bold co-leader said, increasing the size of the fire in his hand in an intimidation attempt. "Right here and now, I could burn you to ash, and who on earthland do you think you are, waltzing in here like a depressed emo and ordering that we get you some magic flute that probably doesn't even work, spewing out death threats like you're handing out papers to a live musical stage performance?"

The shadowed man just blankly stared at him, clearly intimidated and unimpressed.

"What, too scared to speak back? You afraid of some balls and a little bit of fire, cocksucker?"

The other co-leader looked like he was about to piss his pants, "Santiago, what are you doing? Don't you know who this is? He introduced himself to us when he first came to us. This is-"

He was cut off as the shadowed man silenced him with the mere raise of his hand and slight expulsion of magic power that blew away all unsecured nearby objects and the fire that was in Santiago's hand. In the time it took for surprise and fear to adorn itself all over Santiago's face, the shadowed man leapt to his feet and grabbed the humongous scythe that lay at his feet with his right hand, swinging it in a wide arc and drawing the cold steel against the throat of the foolishly defiant mage, starting from just underneath the right jaw bone and swiftly separating the carotid artery, the jugular vein, and the trachea.

Santiago staggered and fell to the floor, desperately trying to stop himself from bleeding out and dying. His attacker simply sat down again and watched his struggle with light curiosity, but was disappointed when Santiago's hand went limp as he slipped into unconsciousness. As blood was repeatedly pumped out of the severed artery and casually leaked out of the vein, the thick red liquid pooled underneath the body. The other mages were horrified at the graphic sight and the endless sound of the unconscious body trying to breathe, only to cough several times and gargle on the copious amount of blood that was seeping into the separated windpipe.

Eventually, the noises stopped as Santiago slipped into the next life, but the attention of the dark mages were firmly fixed onto the steadily growing puddle of blood and the strong smell of iron that was beginning to permeate the room. The shadowed murderer set his scythe on the floor, looked at the now sole leader of the combined dark guilds, and in a voice that didn't betray that fact that he'd just sliced someone's throat open, said, "Do not waste your words on a dead man. Now, if any of you speak back to me like that, I will end you in the same way that I did with this piece of trash. Now, Federov, you know what I want. Make sure the guild has that flute in four months. Those 'legal guilds' and Magic Council must be taught a very overdue lesson."

"Understood, Eri... Death God. We'll get to it right away." Federov said. Not daring to spare Santiago's body a glance out of fear of being struck down for showing any hint of remorse - not that he actually liked Santiago in the first place - he turned to his men and was about to give them orders, but was rudely interrupted when a blunt-tip arrow shot out of the shadows and struck on the dark mages in the head, abruptly knocking him out and startling the others. As the pretentiously named 'Death God' remained where he was in the shadows, the twelve remaining mages huddled together, back-to-back in a tight circle - almost like penguins who were freezing and trying to keep warm.

"Who's there?" One of the dark mages yelped, preparing to fire off his magic.

"Who's there? That's a really good question, but that's for me to know and for you to find out." A slightly disembodied and feminine voice said, sounding incredibly smug as another arrow - this one with a slim Explosive Lacrima sat behind the arrowhead - landed at the feet of one of the other men and exploded, sending some of the other men staggering and launching the unfortunate target off his feet and into a mouldy wooden wall which crumbled under his weight, knocking him unconscious.

"Show yourself." Federov ordered, hoping to hit and reveal their unseen assailant by unleashing blasts of highly pressurized of water at various points that were hidden by shadows. Some of the other dark mages followed suit, wildly firing their magic as they hoped to score a hit on their attacker. He wouldn't dare ask the Death God for help, fearing that he wouldn't see another day if he did.

After his attack, there was a momentary silence and then the disembodied voice scoffed, "I'm sorry to say it, but your aim is horrendous. Even if you tried your hardest, you wouldn't be able hit a wooden board at point-blank range. And you want me to show myself? No can do. Purposefully showing yourself kinda defeats the purpose of being hidden. Clearly, dumbass, you didn't pass the School of Basic Common Sense during Combat."

A flaming arrow shot through the air and struck one of the other dark mages. Going up in flames and subsequently looking like a demon that had risen from the depths of hell, the burning man hollered in pain as he threw himself to the ground and began rolling back and forth, prompting one of the other men to break formation in order to help him, but the would-be helper was put down by an arrow that had electricity crackling all over its length. He let out a yelp as his muscles contracted due to the strong current that was passing through his system, then another one shocked him into the realm of unconsciousness.

The man he was going to help received the same punishment once he managed to put himself out. Federov growled and began to send more powerful attacks to the areas hidden in darkness - barring where Death God was sitting - in hopes that he would destroy all hiding spots. He looked down as an arrow landed at his feet. It split open upon impact with the floor, revealing an oval-shaped lacrima filled to the brim with Light Magic. Federov barely managed to look away as the lacrima burst open like a bag of popcorn in an active microwave, releasing the Light Magic in a sudden flash that _still_ managed to cause bright spots to dance in front of his eyes, despite the fact that he was mostly looking away from it.

Several of his men yelped and staggered out of place as they were temporarily blinded by the flash, providing their attacker the opportunity to take two of them down with an arrow that, in mid-flight, split in two. Struggling to see past the numerous bright spots that stained his vision, Federov noticed that an arrow with an Explosive Lacrima located behind the arrowhead was flying towards him. However, it was knocked off course by a powerful burst of wind and struck a dark mage in the temple, blowing his head off upon detonation and scattering gore and bone all over Federov and the other dark mages.

Targeting where the arrow had come from, he immediately fired back with a jet of highly pressurized water which would punch through flesh as if it were paper. He must've hit his mark as the disembodied voice cursed in response, "Motherfucker, that was one hell of a reaction time. God-fucking-dammit, right through the waist. Also, which bastard redirected my arrow?"

Federov noticed Death God shift slightly, but otherwise, the man said nothing and gave him a slight nod upon making eye contact. However, his eyes perfectly conveyed the message of ' _Don't expect anymore help from me, and finish this quickly or you'll end up like that piece of trash who dared challenge me.'_

He turned back to the action as another dark mage was set alight, helping him by dousing him with water. Unfortunately, they were all blinded by another arrow that had a lacrima full of Light Magic. Whilst they were all visually incapacitated, the disembodied voice seemed to have shifted over to another position as it let out an agonized groan that sounded like they were performing an act of self-harm, something which didn't seem quite logical in a combat situation, even if they did have the advantage and was casually picking them off one by one.

"What are you doing? Causing harm to yourself doesn't seem very smart, unless causing pain to yourself is something that turns you on." Federov stated, feeling annoyed with himself for caring about the wellbeing of his enemy and disgust for even thinking about the idea of someone becoming sexually aroused via painful stimulation.

"Your concern is welcome, but I'm not interested in that stuff. And even if I was, I wouldn't do it during a fight and it forever would be none of your business. Perhaps you forgot about the fact that you shot me through the waist with your jet of pressurized water. You know, pierced through my body and caused me to start _bleeding_ from the wound that _you_ gave me. I was cauterizing the wound which, naturally, hurt like hell." The voice replied.

A few moments later, an arrow with a blunted tip sailed through the air and struck another dark mage in the side of his head, knocking him unconscious and dislodging several of his teeth. Excluding Death God, that left five more dark mages who were becoming increasingly worried and frightened, and they all flinched as - at random intervals - several arrows with lengths of sturdy rope attached to their rear shot past them and embedded themselves into the ground.

One length of rope reached past Federov's head, with the arrow embedded into the ground directly behind him, and then it wobbled as if someone had attached a weight to it or was pulling it. He looked up at the dark corner where the other end was presumably attached and a figure seemingly shimmered and materialized in front of him. He felt his nose break as the outstretched feet as of the previously hidden individual booted him in the face, knocking him to the ground. He barely got to see a glimpse of his attacker as a longbow was brought down upon his forehead, taking him out of the fight.

The remaining four mages huddled together, adopting horrified expressions as it looked like their attacker was blending into the background. The archer drew back their hood and changed to a different set of clothes with the help of Requip, revealing themself to be a tall female with strawberry blonde hair and sea-cocky eyes that glinted with cockiness, fair skin and rather prominent cheekbones. After checking on her cauterized wound, she briefly glanced at Death God and then smirked at the remaining four dark mages, "For a bunch of dark mages, I really expected a better challenge. This was almost easy as hunting and shooting at an unaware animal. Oh, and where were my manners? The name of your glorious hunter is Lorraine Xanthine."

She nocked an arrow which appeared to have a mini-tornado swirling around the arrowhead at incredible speed and fired it at the four dark mages. One of them had the sense of mind to leap aside and watched as the arrow pierced through his three comrades' abdomens without any resistance at all, almost like a hot knife through butter. They all cried out in pain and fell to the floor.

Turning to the last man, Lorraine nocked an ordinary arrow and aimed it at his kneecap. Opting out, the last dark mage raised his hands in the _'I surrender, don't attack'_ gesture and used his Earth Magic to sink into the ground and flee from the carnage. He didn't care about what would happen if Death God happened to find him later, he just wanted to be as far away from that woman as possible.

Lorraine turned to Death God and gave him a haughty smirk, "I dealt with your buddies and I'm gonna deal with you too, Shady. But you've got a choice. Surrender and come without a fight, or fight and I put you down.

From his position in the shadows, Death God gave the downed mages looks of contempt and then focused on the woman in front of him. His voice made it clear that he wasn't impressed by her feat of taking down a small group of dark mages. With a monotone voice, he spoke, "How amusing. The building is surrounded by the Black Steel of Phantom Lord, the Captain of the 5th Custody Enforcement Unit, and six Rune Knights. And you, Fly, must be remarkably ignorant or arrogant to confront me alone. You must not know who I am."

The stepped out of his position in the shadows, allowing Lorraine to get a good look at his form. He was an lean built, extremely tall and yet mildly muscular man with silver hair, which is held pointing upwards in spiky strands on top of his head, but hangs down to the left of his face in a distinctive tuft and reaches down to his shoulders. His eyes are dark and he has an elongated face with sharp features and somewhat pointed ears, but seems to lack eyebrows. His eyes are circled by dark lines and each of them has a simple tattoo right below it, consisting of a pointed line going down vertically, crossed with two more, larger horizontal lines. The upper part of his body is similarly tattooed, but with much larger, intricated and blue-colored motifs, which take on spiraling forms, and adorn his shoulders, biceps and pectorals.

He dons a torn Japanese-like outfit befitting his name of Death God, which in another language, translates to **Shinigami**. He is bare-chested, with all of his tattoos visible, and his lower body is covered in different layers of clothing: he sports a long, worn skirt, reminiscent of a hakama, below a darker, shorter cloth, held up by an even lighter and shorter one tied like a belt. He has a black scarf wrapped around his thin neck, with its edges hanging on his back and traditional geta sandals on his feet. His attire is completed by a pair of distinctive dark gloves, each adorned by a light " _X_ " on the back, and by bandages wrapped around his forearms.

Lorraine edged back a little as Death God picked up a enormous scythe with his right arm, not even appearing to be bothered by its size and weight. His scythe has a very large, jagged blade, with a light-colored cutting edge and the rest of it being dark, which is mounted on a gnarled staff, curving lightly before the blade itself. Opposite to the blade, on top of the staff, is a decorative skull, seemingly an animal one.

The nineteen year old eyed the blood of the dark part of the scythe's blade. She cocked her head to one side and grinned as she said, "That's a pretty big scythe you've got there. You compensating for something?"

A muscle in his face twitched at the jab. He began to exert his magic power, causing a powerful wind to start blowing around the room and Lorraine then realized that she might've made a mistake by not calling the others to help her out as soon as she dealt with the other dark mages. The older man sneered at her, "My _dear_ , allow me to educate you. I am Erigor, the _Guild Ace_ of Eisenwald who holds the epithet of Death God, and I'm going to add your meaningless life to my kill count."

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 **A/N: And here's Chapter 13. I hope you're all doing well, I love you and don't forget to review, favorite and follow.**

 **A/N: The design and creation of Amber Celadon, Captain of the 5th Custody Enforcement Unit - and the others that will soon come - can be credited to a good collaborator: Warmachine375. Thank you for helping me out, buddy.**


	14. Chapter 14

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

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"Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Chapter 14.

"Shane, how's she doing inside?" Amber asked one of her Rune Knights who'd taken off his helmet as she moved her right hand to one of her magical pistols, revealing a clean-shaven head. His facial expression seemed to be stuck in the form of 'had just smelled something really bad and was unable to get away from the source of the smell', but his eyes had a slightly amused and playful glint to them.

"Well, ma'am, the Phantom Lord mage seems to be doing quite well. She's taking down the dark mages one by one, making them nervous if their erratic magic signatures are anything to go by, but there's one particular source of magic which seems to be larger than the rest and she hasn't engaged him yet. I sincerely hope she doesn't try to fight whoever it is alone." Shane replied, rubbing his head as he glanced at Gajeel.

"Hn, that's good to hear. I've never taken her on a job involving dark mages before. In our previous jobs, we've only dealt with thugs and insignificant criminals." The Iron Dragon Slayer said as he felt Shane's eyes on him. He hoped Lorraine wouldn't try to go solo against the person with a higher amount of magic compared to everyone present. He'd love to get in on the action and Gajeel didn't want to tell Huiqing and Totomaru that Lorraine's arrogant ass had gotten her killed.

"Mr Redfox, how well do you know you friend? Tell me a little about her." Amber requested, not taking her eyes off the derelict building and keeping her hand on her magical pistol, almost as if she was ready to quick-draw and dump some magical rounds into the dome of an unlucky punk of a criminal.

Gajeel grunted, wondering what was with the random question but answered nonetheless, "Well, she's had a shit childhood and grew up in Habanera Town where she went to school, learned magic and became a professional hunter. Lorraine knows a specific type of Requip and Arrow Magic, and she apparently has a Take Over form, but wants to surprise me with it, so don't be probing me about that." He said, scowling slightly.

Amber looked slightly surprised at that, although the look was quickly replaced by a professional mask of stoicism. "Take Over? Like Mirajane the Demon or Elfman the Beast, or their younger sibling, Lisanna the Animal? That's interesting. Take Over is always a spectacle when it is first unleashed. If she wants to surprise you with it, then that means it must be worth the wait. In fact, if you are, then I might be as curious as you."

 _'You have no damn idea as to who curious I am. I've known about this Take Over bullshit for four days and I haven't even gotten as much as a fucking peak. If it's underwhelming, I swear I'm gonna knock her teeth out."_ Gajeel thought, grunting in response to Amber.

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(Within the run-down and derelict building)

It didn't take a professor or somebody with a IQ of over 160 to know that Lorraine was way in over her head. After taking down the men that Erigor had been working with, she didn't signal for aid after the dark mage had attacked, and now she was entirely on the defensive. Arrows meant nothing to a calm and composed man who had a huge scythe - one that he could wield with surprising speed - and near flawless control over Wind Magic. It was also the reason why she was bleeding so much.

Lorraine had quick reaction times, but Erigor swung his scythe with such speed that he still managed to inflict superficial wounds, no matter how ready she was for his swings. Arrogance and gradual blood loss probably contributed to the increasing number of slashes she was taking and invisible blades of wind were a pain in the ass too, and Lorraine had lost count of how many times a random cut would open up on her form when Erigor hadn't even moved to attack her yet.

He didn't seem to be in a hurry to end her life, almost as if he knew that she couldn't play their game of _cat and mouse_ forever. Although Lorraine knew that Gajeel would never let her live it down if she signalled for his help, her situation was becoming increasingly dire and calling for aid was starting to make sense, but Erigor - despite his leisurely attacking pace - seemed to know what she wanted to do and wouldn't give her the time to relax and signal to the others that she'd really fucked up.

Astrid was doing her best to stem the bleeding and heal her wounds, but as soon as one wound would be closed, another would immediately be inflicted, courtesy of the man who with absolute certainty, deserved the title of Death God. Also, Lorraine wouldn't dare try and engage in hand to hand combat with the murderer. The first time she'd tried, her hand had been horribly lacerated by a wall of wind that was invisible to the naked eye. Despite it being healed, Lorraine wouldn't try punching again, just in-case she ended up with more than a few nasty lacerations.

 _ **"This is what happens when you start to become cocky and full of yourself. Somebody comes along to take your ego down by a few levels. Yes, you took down those dark mages, but they weren't really much of a challenge. You noticed that this guy had magic power that surpassed yours and yet you still decided to take him on by yourself. Immediately, you were put on the defensive, and resurrection may be one of my skills, but that won't happen if this guy slices your head off."**_ Astrid warned.

 _"Wow, really, such a great pep talk. That's exactly what I needed to hear as some murderous psychopath slowly turns me into swiss cheese with his massive scythe and flawless control of the air. I'm half expecting him to suck the air out of my lungs, but I don't think he wants to kill me that quickly. Heck, I don't think he's noticed that you've closed up several of my wounds. I just need him to drop that barrier of wind. Scythe or not, I could probably take him in a hand-to-hand combat fight."_ Lorraine mentally stated, flinching as Erigor's scythe grazed her collarbone, creating a superficial wound.

 _ **"I literally just lectured you about your arrogance and being cocky. And what do you go and do? Declare that you could take him in a physical brawl. I understand the saying of 'It's not arrogance if you can back it up', but look at him, Lorraine. He's more built than any of the criminals you fought with alongside Gajeel. Heck, he's probably more muscular than Totomaru and Gajeel put together, but just appears to be really slim. If you tried getting up close and personal with him, I can guarantee that he'd have you floored in at least three seconds."**_ Astrid commented, hoping Lorraine would listen to her.

 _"Haha, thanks for the motivation. I feel so much better after that."_ Lorraine replied sarcastically, hurriedly avoiding a slice to the abdomen which would've spilled her insides all over the floor.

 _"Okay then, let's go and unleash our Take Over. We'll do an immediate switch and take his ass down. Erigor will never expect it and he won't be able to produce enough wind to counteract and put out your mystical flames. Well, I don't think anyone could hope to put out your phoenix fire."_ She continued, firing off an arrow which was effortlessly deflected by Erigor's scythe.

 ** _"Immediate switch? I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we can't do that."_** Astrid replied.

 _"What do you mean? Why not?"_ Lorraine questioned, sounding rather annoyed.

 _ **"My Take Over isn't like that of Satan Soul. Satan Soul floods the body with demonic energy, prompting a massive physical boost and slight personality change. If I were to suddenly flood your body with my magical energy in the same way, you would be incinerated in an instant. Demons associated with Satan Soul might be the embodiment of evil, but that is countered by the good in the heart of the user and their potency of the user's magic power. There's nothing you could do to counter the sudden incineration.** **You'd only be able to switch if I'd been transferring my magical power into your body for the past few minutes, of course, at your request."**_ Astrid stated, sounding apologetic.

"Aw, bitch-nuts. Looks like it's up to Gajeel, Amber Celadon and her Rune Knight buddies to help me out." Lorraine grumbled in resignation. As she flared her magic power to signal for help, a wayward blade of wind sliced through through the achilles tendon of her left leg, causing her to yelp in pain and crumple into a heap; although, thanks to Astrid, she could already feel it healing, but Erigor was already stood over her with an irritated sneer.

"Pretentious fly. You thought you could evade me forever? Tch, you're not even worth killing. And frankly, I'm disgusted that it took me so long to get a hold of you." It was lights out for Lorraine as he savagely delivered two punches to the face, dazing her with the first and knocking her unconscious with the second. He towered over her unconscious form and raised one of his feet to stomp on her face, but was forced to leap away as the nearest wall imploded and threatened to shower him with dust and rubble.

"More flies coming to join the slaughter? How amusing." Erigor mused as two figures walked through the dust that lingered in front of the destroyed wall. As they fully emerged and became recognizable to him, the dark mages and assassin felt a hint of satisfaction. Apparently, the weak girl who'd dared to fight him alone - if it could even be called a fight - had the backup of the Captain of the 5th Custody Enforcement Unit and the Black Steel of Phantom Lord, yet decided not to signal for assistance.

Perhaps he should've killed her for her arrogance.

Sparing his teammate a brief glance to make sure she wasn't dead as Amber tended to her, Gajeel smirked as he locked eyes with the criminal, "Heh, well it must be my lucky day. Erigor, the Death God, of Eisenwald. Although, I gotta say, you look a lot less tough than I thought you would. I thought you'd be taller, more muscular and significantly more intimidating, and wearing something that makes you look like a absolute badass. Gihihihihihi, you look like some kind of nerd who's trying way to hard to appear badass in his cosplay of his favourite fictional character, and that's after failing to join the gothic culture."

"Gajeel. Take him seriously. You might be a renown A-Class Mage of Phantom Lord, but this is Erigor. S-Class Dark Mage of Eisenwald. Fcous, or you'll end up on his sizeable list of unfortunate victims." Amber, drawing one of her magical pistols after she carried - bridal style - the unconscious Lorraine over to the hole in the wall that they'd created.

Much to her dismay, the smirk of the Iron Dragon Slayer grew into a bigger and bloodthirsty one and his magic power began to rise dramatic as he prepared himself for an intensive and bloody fight, and perhaps one of the hardest he'd ever go through.

"Gajeel Redfox of the Black Steel," Erigor said, his once cold voice now as eerily smooth as silk, almost as if he was trying to serenade the Iron Dragon Slayer. "I commend your efforts, but mockery and intimidation will get you nowhere. Perhaps on a lesser and weaker individual, but not me. However, I will ensure you the service of a quick death."

"Heh, I'm glad to hear it. Now, eat iron!" Without any warning for his opponent, Gajeel launched a mass of iron from his mouth, but it was blown away from Erigor by a powerful gust of wind which redirected and shot them towards Amber who raised her forearm. Magical runes appeared along the sleeve of the uniform covering the arm, producing a light blue barrier of magic which disintegrated the pieces of iron as they made contact.

Swiftly retaliating, Amber fired off a shot which pierced through Erigor's protective barrier of wind and forced him to block the projectile with his scythe, lest he take a magical projectile to the torso.

"Adaptive Magic Pistols, developed and produced by the Magic Council themselves. Quite impressive, but irritating for me, especially as they automatically load their ammunition, and in this case, magical rounds with enough speed and penetrating power to punch through my barriers of wind" Erigor said, flinging his scythe at Amber who dived to the floor in order to avoid it, but as it was propelled by the wind that Erigor was manipulating, the scythe circled back around to return to its owner; however, he was forced to let it pass him as Gajeel attacked him with a punch that painfully jolted the bones in his dominant arm as he blocked it.

"Iron Dragon's Hard Fist." Gajeel snarled as an iron colored magic circle appeared between his fist and Erigor's arm. When it faded away, the latter grunted as he was blown away by the force and came to a gentle halt with the help of a wind cushion. The fourteen year old had covered his body in the protective armour that came with the activation of the Iron Dragon's Scales, allowing him to shrug off the wall of wind that would've already shredded and killed anyone else and deliver blows that were more damaging that what he could normally dish out.

"Hn, it appears you have a few tricks up your sleeve. However, they won't help you in the slightest. I'll have you known that I've assassinated and killed people with superior defenses to yours. This is mere child's play. Now begone with you, Magic Wind Palm." Erigor stated, preparing a retaliatory spell while keeping an eye out for Amber.

For now, she seemed to be content with checking over the trash he'd been into unconsciousness beforehand and letting Gajeel have his fun, but one could never be too careful, especially as an incredibly infamous dark mage with Mother Nature's breath at his fingertips.

A powerful breeze sprung up as Erigor enveloped his hands in spiraling currents of wind. Once the limbs were no longer visible, he clapped his hands together and thrust his arms out towards Gajeel, generating a large and powerful vortex which slammed into the Iron Dragon Slayer, tearing up and obliterating the area where he stood, including the wall that was behind, and coincidentally, taking out one of the Rune Knights who remained stationed around the building who ready to engage in case Erigor tried to flee and make a break for it.

Amber was about to call out to him, but Gajeel stepped out of the column of dust that surrounded him after the attack, revealing himself to have suffered no more than a few insignificant scratches all over his iron skin and being left with partially shredded clothes. The fourteen year old looked over himself and then smirked, "Oh please, is that all you've got, Erigor the Death God? Gihihihihi, more like the Pansy God. You might as well have exhaled really hard on me. Is that all you can do with your Wind Magic?"

The older man didn't even react to the taunt and he didn't seem to be at all fazed about how one of his attacks had failed to cause significant damage to Gajeel. Generating more wind currents to pick up his scythe, Erigor blocked another shot from Amber and then enveloped the blade of his scythe with a highly rotating vortex, and Gajeel still didn't appear to be at all concerned, not even when Erigor lunged at him and swung his scythe.

The Iron Dragon Slayer hissed in pain as the reinforced blade cut into his forearm. Jumping away as Erigor slammed the scythe down on where he stood and easily carved up the floor, he used to slight distance between them to check out the damage. His Iron Dragon's Scales had negated most of the damage that would've resulted in anyone else losing their arm, but Gajeel noted that the magically reinforced blade had managed to cut through his defensive technique and successfully wound him, and for that, someone was going to have their face beaten until they couldn't move or see.

He felt slightly annoyed that Erigor didn't even look remotely satisfied about harming. In fact, the dark mage looked a little annoyed, almost as if he'd expected to do more harm to the Phantom Lord mage. Gajeel also hated it when Erigor adopted a neutral expression and blanked out any emotions that were swimming in his eyes, just as he was doing right now, since it made it impossible to tell what the criminal was thinking about or going to do, not that Gajeel even wanted to know what the killer was thinking about.

Then again, Erigor probably had no interest in knowing what went on in the head of a 'fly' and his soon to-be victim.

Gajeel would rather want to know what went on in Jose Porla's head, although it would probably be something related to bragging about the success of Phantom Lord and hating on the very existence of his rival, Makarov Dreyar, and his guild, Fairy Tail.

 _'Alright, get ready asshole. I'm gonna beat your face and make it flatter than a-'_ The fourteen year old grunted as he was suddenly flung into the air by a miniaturised tornado that formed directly beneath him. He flipped in mid-air and produced pike-like extensions from the base of his feet. These pierced through the ceiling of the partially destroyed room and allowed him to stand upside, although Erigor - flying with the aid of his Wind Magic - ascended so he was level with Gajeel and swung his scythe at Gajeel's neck.

"You call that a swing? Don't make me laugh, Iron Dragon's Sword." Gajeel snarled, transforming his left arm into a large, jagged iron blade and blocking the strike. Unfazed by the deflection and maintaining his hovering, upside down position opposite the raven-haired teen, Erigor exchanged several blows with Gajeel, causing several gashes in his iron skin while receiving a few superficial wounds, then rested his palm against Gajeel's stomach and used the Magic Wind Palm to dislodge him from the ceiling and launch him towards the ground, all the while also inadvertently saving himself from a magical projectile fired by Amber which would've struck him between the eyes.

The aforementioned female Rune Knight had to throw herself to one side as Gajeel landed where she'd been standing. If it wasn't for his armour, she would've caught him, but the Rune Knight Captain of one of the Custody Enforcement Units didn't feel like taking the equivalent of what would feel like a full speed train or a raging monster to the chest.

If what Gajeel had told her in the past was the truth, then his weight didn't change when using the defensive technique, but she knew iron would definitely feel significantly different to mere warm flesh, regardless of whether it hit her or someone like Gildarts, and his landing had caused the ground to cave in slightly as he rolled back into a half-crouched position.

As his feet settled onto the floor after descending, Erigor was forced to block several iron blades that shot towards him at surprising speed and scowled when one of the knives cut his cheek. Before he could retaliate to the offensive transgression of the disgusting fly, the Death God of Erigor dodged an Iron Dragon's Hard Fist that would've broken his nose and most likely shattered every bone in his face.

He then slashed at the offending arm - the magically reinforced blade managing to cut through through iron arm and cause a long cut that ran from Gajeel's forearm to his middle of his bicep, but instead of retreating from the pain and injury, the Iron Dragon Slayer ignored it and pushed on - thanks to a combination of his pride and adrenaline.

"Enough of this foolishness, you've defied the will of the Death God long enough. Emera Baram." Erigor called, rising through the air and away from Gajeel who flung more iron knives at him, although they were all deflected by the Erigor's protective barrier of wind.

"Emera Baram? Gajeel, don't try to take the attack. Even with your Iron Dragon's Scales, you'll be shredded beyond recognition." Amber called, retreating through one of holes in the wall and watched as Gajeel ignored her. She knew he was a prideful mage, so repeating her words would just be a waste of time. If she were to take a guess, Amber would think his mindset was probably something along the lines of 'Don't try to take the attack? Pheh, I'm an Iron Dragon Slayer. Some puny wind can't cause any significant damage to me'.

"You should listen to her. This is the soaring Wind Magic that cuts up everything, including the iron skin that is your flimsy defence." Erigor stated, allowing a hint of smugness to leak into his voice

He bent his arms and after destroying the entirety of the ceiling and roof of the building, he pointed his hands towards the sky, stretching out his index and middle fingers. Then, he subsequently placed his two index and middle fingers in a " _X_ " shape in front of him, generating a halo of light around his hands, from which a large, concentrated blast of wind blades was fired towards Gajeel who took the attack head on, disappearing within a explosion of dust and chunks of dirt and debris.

Ignoring Amber's call regarding Gajeel and the whereabouts of her Rune Knight subordinates as he breathed heavily from the exertion that came with unleashing his attack, Erigor flicked his wrist and dispersed the cloud of dust that hid the presumably deceased Iron Dragon Slayer from view. He widened his eyes upon seeing the three iron domes that had protected Gajeel from his attack - the outermost and central dome having been largely shredded by his attack, but the innermost one was mostly intact, save for a few deep gashes.

He scoffed as Gajeel opened part of the dome in a similar fashion to opening a door. The fourteen year old was completely untouched, thanks to the three domes that had protected him, and he seemed eager to continue the fight if his bloodthirsty smirk was any indication, although Erigor had other ideas. He could go on for another hour or so if he wanted to, but long, drawn out fight weren't his thing and he still had to keep an eye out for the Rune Knights, assuming his technique had failed to kill or injury Amber's subordinates.

However, pained screaming seemed to tell him otherwise.

The assassin preferred to keep his battles short and bloody, and the Emera Baram was incredibly taxing on his body and magical reserves. It was best used after opening his Second Origin, but the lowly fly in front of him didn't deserve the honour of witnessing his Second Origin-enhanced Emera Baram and he definitely wouldn't want to use the enhanced version in an enclosed space. Furthermore, Gajeel's armoured skin was very troubling - even if he could cut through it by enhancing the cutting power of his scythe - and the Death God of Eisenwald didn't want to stick around and find out whether his opponent could open his Second Origin.

"Hm, you should've been sliced to insignificant pieces. That defensive technique of yours is admittedly impressive, but I'm afraid I can't stick around and entertain a pitiful fly like you any longer." Erigor mused, preparing to transport himself away with another technique, but was interrupted by Gajeel who attacked him with the Iron Dragon's Roar - obscuring Erigor's vision enough for him to get close and thrash him with a barrage of the Iron Dragon's Hard Fist, but despite his apparent exhaustion, Erigor was still nimble enough to avoid his attacks and blow him away with another Magic Wind Palm.

In another sudden burst of wind, Erigor shot into the air, and supported by a cushion of air, flew off towards the horizon.

Gajeel cursed as he watched Erigor escape into the air and flee from their fight, demanding that he come back and fight him some more. Expletives - even ones that someone his age shouldn't know - flew from his mouth as he punched whatever remained of the floor in anger, driving his fist through until his iron knuckles met dirt, then withdrew his arm from the floorboards and allowed his iron skin to return back to normal.

Amber approached him from behind and placed a hand on his shoulder, "He might've gotten away, but we can always get him another day. Besides, we managed to get the guys that he'd been working with. We'll take them back to the Magic Council and get specialised Rune Knights to interrogate the shit out of them. Oh, by the way, you're bleeding rather profusely from your arm."

The Iron Dragon Slayer snorted at her enthusiasm and ignored her warning regarding his injuries, "Hn, good luck with that, and I'll be fine. Did you know that Dragon Slayers have a higher than normal blood count? I'll have stopped bleeding long before I become light-headed and lose consciousness. Also, I couldn't really care but I'll ask anyway, how many Rune Knights did you lose? I think I saw and heard a Rune Knight get hit by Erigor's wayward attacks."

"Thankfully, I only lost two. Also, despite your claim of having a higher blood count, take this pill. It'll speed up your physical and magical recovery." Amber said, handing Gajeel a small, grey pill which he took and immediately swallowed, causing him to cringe when he realised that he should've taken it with a glass of water. He rolled his neck to rid himself of the weird feeling in his throat and shot the Rune Knight Captain a glare as she sniggered at his plight.

"It ain't funny. How about you take one of those things without any water. Feels like I tried to swallow a bag of sand that burst open halfway down my throat." Gajeel grumbled, relaxing as he funny sensation in his throat eventually faded, but Amber only started giggling at him - having decided that the Iron Dragon Slayer was being an immature 'Drama Queen'.

Not that she'd say that to his face. He'd either shut down her claim entirely or demand that she call him a 'Drama King. Men labelled with _Queen_ are pansies, like Erigor or that lady-boy who's a Rune Knight Captain. I ain't a pansy'.

The female marksman had seen other Rune Knights take the pill without any water and they didn't struggle as much as Gajeel did, but she guessed it was just Jose's influence. He tended to massively overreact to things, even to events and occurrences that were sometimes insignificant and occasionally had nothing to do with him, Phantom Lord, Makarov Dreyar, or Fairy Tail.

Then, Gajeel sat on whatever remained of the floor and ran a hand through his thick, long, black hair and sighed - resting his head against one of his hands, "How's Lorraine? Can't believe that dumbass tried to take on Erigor alone. I might've had your help, but I've had some experience when it comes to fighting dark mages. Tch, I should've gone inside with her... Oh well, hopefully she'll have learnt and won't do that again. What does she think she is? A Mary-Sue?"

Acknowledging what Gajeel had said, but not questioning what a Mary-Sue was, Amber cracked open another pill and shook the contents down Lorraine's throat, then withdrew a Communications Lacrima Crystal and contacted Lahar who, precisely and timely as usual, answered within four seconds - the norm for anyone else being about ten seconds or more. The other Rune Knight Captain brushed his hair out of his face upon seeing his comrade of the same rank, "Amber, what may I do for you? It's not often that I'm contacted by a fellow Rune Knight Captain, is there an issue?"

"No, but I do need some assistance. I have a few dark mages who are going to require interrogation regarding whatever they were doing in association with Erigor: Death God of Eisenwald, whom I fought alongside the Black Steel of Phantom Lord. A couple Rune Knights under my command have also been injured - one minor, the other being rather severe and unconscious at the moment. Send down a squad or two. I'm sending the coordinates to you now." Amber replied, grabbing the bottom of the crystal and twisting until she heard a 'click'.

"Coordinates received. I'll be sending four squads to your location. ETA at your position in approximately two hours. Furthermore, you're lucky to have survived an encounter with Erigor... and tell the Black Steel that he needs to learn some more manners. Lahar out." The image of Lahar's face on the Communications Lacrima Crystal faded and the sphere returned to its normal colour.

Gajeel loudly scoffed as he stood up and carefully - well, as careful as someone like Gajeel could ever hope to be - slung Lorraine over his shoulders, fireman-carry style, shifting her deadweight a few times until he was comfortable with carrying her, "Learn some more manners? That stuck-up jackass can fuck right off. I have enough manners as it is."

"Uh-huh, whatever you say. Even though you addressed me with respect earlier, I'm still not so sure about that." Amber said, struggling to suppress a smile as Gajeel glared at her; however, the terrifying effect was nullified due to how clumsy and awkward the Iron Dragon Slayer looked with someone draped over his shoulders. He seemed to be perfectly handling it, but Amber couldn't help but think that he looked off balance and about to shamelessly drop Lorraine.

"Yeah, whatever. Anyways, see you around... probably." Gajeel walked off, heading in the direction of Oak Town. He knew it would've been faster for him to get back to Oak Town and Phantom Lord if he'd caught the next train, but going all the way back was a pain in the ass, and besides, a little bit of walking never hurt anybody - except for people who couldn't handle the blisters that came with rarely travelling long distances.

As per Gajeel's line of thought - those kinds of people were pansies.

Also, it was going to be Lorraine's punishment. If she wanted to nearly get herself killed by trying to go solo against someone who vastly outskilled her, then surely waking up in the middle of the woods and walking back to Phantom Lord would be a walk in the park for her. Still, he couldn't believe that he had to be carrying her again; although, at least the incident with Laxus wasn't her fault in the slightest, but nearly getting killed by Erigor was.

"Tch, you're starting to make this a habit - me carrying you after someone knocks your ass down." Gajeel stated, but as expected, received no response. He was tempted to drop her onto the floor just to wake Lorraine up, but the thought of subsequently being on the receiving end of her temper and trying to escape with his knees intact, even with his Iron Dragon's Scales, put him off from doing it.

Made he'd just find and dump a bucket of fresh and cold water onto her head. If the sudden cold didn't wake her up and provide him with something to snicker at, then Gajeel didn't know what would. Perhaps tickling her would work, but the fourteen year old didn't even know whether she was a ticklish person.

 _'If Huiqing is really ticklish, then surely Lorraine must be similar. Hn, I'll try when she's slightly drunk. She'd probably knock my lights out if I tried sober. Gihihihihihi.'_

Gajeel was so caught up in his evil plan, he didn't notice the trio approaching him until it was too late and he bumped into one of them, almost knocking them down. As he was rudely brought out of his thoughts, Gajeel heard, "How about you watch where you're going, Pinky. Also, how did you even walk into him? This guy is a couple of inches taller than you and has someone draped over his shoulders. I thought you were a Dragon Slayer, how can your eyesight be so bad?"

Widening his eyes upon hearing 'Dragon Slayer', Gajeel nearly dropped Lorraine right there and then, _'Wait... Wait, what!?'_

"Probably because he _lllllllliiiiiiiikes_ you." A high-pitched voice added, giggling as if it'd said something funny.

"Like the Flame Brain? Dream on."

"Um, guys, I don't think-" A girl's voice started, only to be cut off.

"Shut up, Stripper! Happy, I don't like him!" The one he'd bumped into - and was apparently a Dragon Slayer - was a thirteen year old boy. He was a couple of inches shorter and slimmer than Gajeel, had bright pink hair which was painful to look at, black eyes, and a very visible red Fairy Tail mark located just below his right shoulder. He wore a red shirt which had a yellow strap around the lower half, a scale-pattern scarf on his neck, light orange pants and black footwear.

The other boy, 'Stripper' as his friend seemed to call him, was slightly taller than the pinkette by about half an inch, had dark blue hair which was nearly black, and dark blue eyes which seemed to be set in a half-scowl and were drowning in boredom. He wore pants and shoes, but seemed to lack a shirt - allowing Gajeel, who was debating whether to ask him where his shirt was or punch his lights out, to see the dark blue Fairy Tail stamp located on his right pectoral.

Hovering above his head was a flying blue cat - whom was presumably named Happy if the pinkette's earlier proclamation was anything to go by - with a long, blue tail with a white tip and small, angelic wings. Gajeel felt a surge of jealousy upon seeing it, especially after it smiled and waved at him.

The girl, who was trying to act as a peacemaker for the two boys, was several inches shorter than the two of them. She had shoulder-length, cloudy white hair and vibrant blue eyes, and she wore dark red shoes alongside a short, dark red dress which had a white collar and bow. Gajeel noticed that she became nervous and slightly apprehensive every time she looked at him, almost as if she was afraid of him; although, who could blame her with those red eyes of his.

"Oi, brats, stop bitching at each other like an old, married couple and tell me who the hell you are." Gajeel snapped, starting to feel himself developing a headache as 'Stripper' and 'Flame Brain' continued arguing with each other. Besides, he also wanted to find out who the so-called Dragon Slayer was and his nose was hinting that it was the loudmouth pinkette.

The flying cat waved at him, "I'm Happy. That's my name and that's how I always feel. I'm an Exceed. Why do you have that woman slung over your shoulders."

"She got herself incapacitated during a fight. Thus, I have to carry her deadweight."

"Oh, I hope she's okay. I'm Lisanna Strauss. You already know my older sister: Mirajane Strauss. I'm twelve years old and a Take Over mage, but my variation is the Animal Soul. She's spoke about you quite a bit. Your, um, ah, a little less scary than I thought you'd be." The petite girl said, positioning herself between 'Stripper' and 'Flame Brain' to get them to stop arguing, and missed Gajeel's surprised - and slightly aghast - reaction to her relation to his demonic 'friend'.

'Stripper' gave Lisanna a blank look, then turned to Gajeel and spoke, "What's up? I'm Gray Fullbuster, thirteen years old, and I also use Static Ice-Make Magic... Why are you looking at me like that? Shit, I'm not wearing my shirt, am I?"

Gajeel narrowed his eyes into a glare of distaste and nodded.

"Dammit. Sorry, it's a habit of mine." Without another word, Gray walked off to find his shirt and was completely unaware of Happy's muffled giggling.

The pinkette burst into flames from excitement, startling Gajeel until he extinguished himself a few seconds afterwards, "I'm Natsu Dragneel, thirteen years old, and I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer. That means every other form of Fire Magic is ineffective against me! Who are you and what magic do you use!?"

Now knowing that he wasn't the only Dragon Slayer on Earthland, Gajeel's right eye twitched as he began plotting to, ahem, secretly dispose of Natsu sometime in the foreseeable future, "I'm Gajeel Redfox, fourteen years old and otherwise known as the Black Steel of Phantom Lord, and I'm an Iron Dragon Slayer. Gihihihihihi, small world we live in, huh? I thought I was the only Dragon Slayer."

"Same! Do you know where Igneel went? He was a dragon and my foster father"

"Nah. Any idea where Metalicana went? He was my dragon and foster father." Gajeel blurted out before he could stop himself as he set Lorraine down.

"You don't know where he is? That sucks. Anyways, FIGHT ME!"

"Gladly! The sky ain't big enough for two dragons, never mind more than that!"

* * *

Over in Fairy Tail and the Phantom Lord subdivision in Crocus, Laxus Dreyar and Ryos sneezed within their respective guilds.

"Somebody must be talking about me." They both muttered.

* * *

 **A/N: Again, I'm sorry for being late, but here's Chapter 14. Don't forget to follow, review and favourite. Get ready for some Dragon Slayer-level of mayhem in the next chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

 **A/N: I thank all those guest accounts for their kind words. And you're about to see another Rune Knight Captain, courtesy of Warmachine375.**

* * *

"We don't need a weakened government, but a strong government that would take responsibility for the rights of the individual and care for the society as a whole." - Vladimir Putin

* * *

Chapter 15.

Balderich Wilhelm groaned as he signed off a sheet from the piles of paperwork that only seemed to grow in size instead of doing the exact opposite. Being subdivision master was fun and satisfying, but the paperwork that came with it made him want to plant his face into and through his desk.

He could only hope that someone would soon invent something that would either lessen the workload or automatically do it all for him.

That sheet had been a budget increase request from a subdivision located in the north of Fiore and the sheet after that was from the Magic Council, requesting that they be allowed to transfer a small squadron of rookie Rune Knights to the subdivision for simulation training against mages, something that he accepted almost immediately, since it would be good experience for the rookies and provide his mages with something else to do.

Rolling up the signed sheet of paper, Balderich walked over to the masked messenger pigeon and slotted it into the pouch attached to the bird's leg. Unmasking the bird, while keeping it in a firm yet soft grip to stop it from immediately flying around, he opened a window and gently threw the bird out, softly smiling as he watched it take flight with graceful ease.

He would then do the same with another bird and the budget increase sheet, but this time he sent it off in the direction of Oak Town and Phantom Lord HQ.

Afterwards, he returned to his seat with a grunt and glanced at the egg which had been entrusted to him by Ryos, carefully inspecting it. The boy had gone out on a short and easy mission with Masika and Huiqing, but didn't trust anyone - except for him - to take care of his egg, and the fifty-one year old didn't want to see what the young man could do if somebody upset and infuriated him.

The last time a Dragon Slayer had gotten upset within his subdivision, the building had to be replaced from the ground up and several people had to get metal teeth for the ones that had been knocked out by a savage, and almost unnecessary, amount of force.

Gajeel Redfox was not a young man to be trifled with, and Balderich suspected the same case could be made for Ryos.

In fact, the latter could probably be much more destructive. You could physically stop iron, but you couldn't stop something that was the absence of light and couldn't be physically interacted with.

Also... wait.

Balderich narrowed his eyes. He could've sworn the egg had shuddered, or perhaps it was just his eyes playing tricks on him. Surely he couldn't be _that_ old already? He was only fifty-one years old, dammit!

When nothing else happened for a few more seconds, Balderich went back to his paperwork which seemed to have gotten bigger during his momentary distraction. Huffing, he was about to read over it when his ears picked up a small 'crack'.

His head shot up towards the egg, but it looked exactly the same. It's size hadn't changed in the slightest, and neither had its shape or general colouration, and Balderich couldn't be 100% sure whether the egg was lightly shaking from side to side.

However, after a few more seconds of observation, he noted that the oversized egg seemed to be... glowing?

Balderich pondered over getting his eyes checked out because eggs, even ones that were larger than normal, simply didn't glow. He rubbed his eyes, figuring that he was probably just tired, but the egg remained slightly glowing.

He darted out into the main hall of his subdivision, feeling relieved as Masika, Huiqing and Ryos walked back in, and gestured to the lattermost mage, "Young man, I believe your egg might be hatching."

Ryos melted into his shadow and darted into his office before Huiqing could manage a smile.

Masika patted her shoulder and followed the "impulsive brat" into his office. The eighteen year old and himself followed suit afterwards, fully aware of the excited atmosphere that had abruptly formed after his announcement.

Retreating back into his office, Balderich found Ryos sat on the guest sofa with the shuddering egg placed on his lap. Masika was sat opposite him, he found himself back in his usual chair - the paperwork could wait a few minutes - and Huiqing was sat next to the young Dragon Slayer, staring at the egg with childlike curiosity.

Heck, Ryos looked like he was going to cry for some reason, especially as the egg nearly fell out of his lap from its sudden violent, jerky movements.

Then, it burst like a balloon, sending out a gentle pulse of magic which washed over the four occupants of the room who'd instinctively covered their face, having expecting something slightly more explosively dramatic.

Lowering his arm, Balderich narrowed his eyes at the undeniably cute creature that stood on Ryos' lap. Surely something was amiss here?

The creature was a small, long-tailed, green anthropomorphic cat which seemed to be more than capable of standing on its hind legs. It had large, curiosity-filled, round eyes, each complete with a pair of prominent eyelashes, and rosy cheeks. However, since when did cats have small, white, angelic wings protruding from their back.

"Hey, it's pretty cute." Masika commented, getting a quiet nod of agreement from the subdivision master.

Ryos gently turned the newborn cat around, "Hello."

The cat stared up at him and opened its mouth into an innocent smile, "Hello."

"I'm Ryos, I'm your father. Can you repeat that?" He asked, the declaration sending something warm through Balderich's cheat and causing Huiqing to squeal with glee.

"Y-Your R-R-Ry-Ryos... and your m-my f-f-fa-father." The painfully innocent cat said, embracing Ryos who hugged it back.

"Good, good. I was thinking of a name. Frosch? I think that's a good name." Ryos said as he turned to the others, fully aware that his cheeks were heating up as he smiled.

Balderich chuckled, "I approve."

Masika nodded, "I like it. It just rolls off the tongue."

"I think it's a lovely name." Huiqing commented, taking several deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Fro thinks so too."

They all turned to Frosch who blinked innocently at them. Four hearts immediately seized at the expression of the newborn.

Balderich already knew he'd challenge Jose to protect Frosch. Masika would go to jail and accept a life sentence if it meant protecting the winged cat. Huiqing would go to hell and back if it meant protecting Frosch. Ryos would put down anything that threatened his 'son' in a heartbeat.

The newborn cat smiled up at them, "Fro thinks so too."

Ryos then looked over at the head of the Phantom Lord subdivision, "Master... if it isn't too much of a hassle for you, I'd like to spar with you. If I may?"

Masika and Huiqing both raised an opposite eyebrow. Neither had expected such a request, and the last person to have done so was none other than Gajeel Redfox of the Black Steel himself.

Balderich let out a hearty laugh, quieting down immediately afterwards so he wouldn't disturb Ryos' newborn 'son', "Of course, my boy! I'd be happy too. I haven't fought in a while so I might be a little rusty, eh. Haha. Still, anything to take my mind off paperwork would be welcome."

The Shadow Dragon Slayer nodded, "In two hours?"

"Hmmm, three. Just so I can be sure that there's nothing majorly important for me to sign off." Balderich replied, smiling down at the smaller male.

"The kid's got guts, like Gajeel. I wouldn't even think about challenging the Master to a fight. I just hope he doesn't develop Gajeel's attitude." Masika commented, her respect for Ryos growing.

"Fro thinks so too." The green cat repeated, almost as if it was starting to become a broken record, getting a hug out of Huiqing as a result.

* * *

(Forests surrounding the outskirts of Hargeon Town, Kingdom of Fiore)

"Flame Brain!"

"Hedgehog!"

"Arsonist!"

"Piercing Face!"

"Pint-sized Candle!"

"Tryhard Emo!"

"Salmon for Brains!"

"Porcupine!"

"Skinny Weakling!"

"Jerk!"

Gray Fullbuster, who was stood next to an awed and shocked Lisanna Strauss, couldn't help but facepalm as the two Dragon Slayers repeatedly threw insults at each other. What had looked like something that would be a promising fight between the children of oversized lizards, something that Gray still couldn't believe was true, rapidly devolved into a battle of insults.

He couldn't tell which one of the Dragon Slayers were winning the heated verbal bout.

 _'Where's Erza when you need an argument to be broken up? Although, she'd never let them fight each other. She'd go on about a drawn out lecture about self-control and discipline, something that I believe Flame Brain had zero skill at.'_ Gray thought, rolling his eyes as they continued to hurl insults at each other.

Happy had conjured popcorn from somewhere and was watching his entertainment with glee.

Lisanna was completely mortified, finding herself at loss for words. Yes, Natsu and Gray name-called and argued all the time, but when it came to strangers, the Fire Dragon Slayer usually went straight for the taunting and punching. Perhaps he saw something in the bigger and the more menacing Dragon Slayer.

"Oi, Lizard-Brained Dumbasses! Quit bitching at each other like an old married couple and start the fighting." Gray snapped at them, having grown tired of their incessant argument that seemed to have no observable end in sight.

Gajeel snarled and flung an iron knife at Gray, who blocked it with an ice barrier, "You want some entertainment? Go to a damned theatre."

"Hey, Metal Head, your fight is with me!" Natsu yelled as he, conpletely unintentionally, sucker punched Gajeel, prompting the Iron Dragon Slayer to round on him with a ferocious glare.

"Oh, gihihihihihihi, now you're just asking for me to beat you into the dirt. Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!" Adding iron scales onto his right arm, Gajeel threw a punch at Natsu's face, but the attack was cut short from its intended target by a cross-arm block.

Natsu hissed as the bones in his arms were violently jarred by the blow, then smirked, already knowing he'd enjoy this fight, regardless of whether he won or not.

He loved fighting Gray, but his strikes weren't as powerful as Mirajane's or Erza's, and this guy had strength comparable to the latter.

Gajeel scoffed, "What are you grinning about?"

"Oh, nothing really. It's just that I haven't had a good fight in quite a while. Also, the thought of fighting another Dragon Slayer is making me excited. Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu engulfed a clenched fist in flames and lunged at Gajeel.

"Fire Dragon's _Iron_ Fist? Get outta here with that ripoff shit, Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!" Two fists met, the blows producing a minor shockwave that splintered a few nearby trees, and neither Dragon Slayer moved after the connection.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow, "Gihihihihihi, for someone so skinny, you're stronger than you look. Heh, this might just be a decent fight after all."

Natsu chuckled and gave his opponent a cocky smile, "Damn right."

Then, they disengaged and leapt away from each other, "Fire Dragon's/Iron Dragon's Roar!"

Two powerful, spiralling vortexes - one composed entirely of fire, and the other being composed of iron - slammed into each other, producing a flash of light at the point of impact and another shockwave that felled any nearby trees and nearly knocked Lisanna and Gray off of their feet.

As they continued to clash with their signature roar techniques, Gajeel thrust out an arm, turning into an iron pole, and it collided with Natsu's abdomen, surprising and winding him, and cutting off his Fire Dragon's Roar in the process.

Now with nothing to stop its progress, Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Roar continued forwards and engulfed Natsu, hiding him from view and carving multiple deep trenches around where he stood.

Lisanna gasped, "Natsu..."

Gray scoffed, "Oh, come on, as if something like that would be enough to take down the pink-haired idiot."

"You can do it, Natsu!" Happy cheered.

Ceasing the continuation of his Iron Dragon's Roar and returning his arm back to normal, Gajeel widened his eyes upon seeing that Natsu was still standing and had suffered a few minor scratches, a far cry to the destroyed environment behind him.

There was a wild, adrenaline fueled sparkle in Natsu's eyes, complimented by the enthusiastic grin on his face, "Thanks for the support, Happy. Guess what, I'm all fired up! Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"

 _'Sword Horn? What's he gonna do, headbutt me?'_ Gajeel watched with interest as the fiery pinkette threw himself to the ground, but before faceplanting, boosted himself forwards with incredible jets of fire from his splayed hands and feet.

Setting his entire body ablaze, Natsu shot forth like a flaming bullet and delivered a powerful headbutt to Gajeel's abdomen, getting a slightly surprised and pained grunt from the older mage.

"Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!" Bending his arm, Natsu levelled his elbow with Gajeel's chest. Propelling the limb forwards with a jet of fire, he slammed the flaming appendage into the Iron Dragon Slayer's chest.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Taking advantage of the fact that Gajeel was still off balance, thanks to the previous two attacks, Natsu engulfed the fourteen year old in a wave of brilliant orange flame, scorching the ground and setting a few trees alight.

"Dammit, Lizard Brain, quit destroying everything. Ice-Make: Lance." Gray thrust his hands forwards, producing several icy lanes which flew past Natsu's technique and struck the flaming trees, putting them out and yet still destroying them in the process.

"Fire Dragon's Claw." Ceasing the flow of magic to his mouth, Natsu ignited one of his feet and booted Gajeel in the chest, knocking him back, then leapt backwards to avoid a retaliatory strike with the Iron Dragon's Lance.

Lisanna was frozen in place from awe, "It-It's like a clash of the titans.

Gray nodded, unaware of his suspiciously missing clothes, "Yeah. Normally, we'd only see these kind of displays from Erza and Laxus, or Mirajane and Laxus, or Erza and Mirajane."

"And now for my finisher!" Natsu declared as he unleashed an unruly, primal scream as his magic power exploded and his entire body bust into flames.

Gajeel coughed, feeling the effects of Natsu's barrage of attacks, "Finisher? Don't be so full of yourself! Iron Dragon's Scales!" Covering his body in protective magical armour, he flared his own magic power.

As Gray moved them further away from the battle so they wouldn't be caught up in any crossfire, Lisanna looked like she was about to start praying, "That magic will shatter a dragons scales, crush its innards, and cut down its soul. Terrifying."

"But that's what makes Natsu super cool!" Happy cheered.

Gray deadpanned, "I hope you do realise that you just described a potential act of murder by a Dragon Slayer as 'cool'?"

"Fire Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" Natsu engulfed his arms in brilliant flame and produced two long torrents of flame which, on occasion, would randomly explod as they whipped through the arm.

Then, he lunged towards Gajeel who jumped into the air, clearing the height of the surrounding trees.

"Iron Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Karma Demon: Iron Spiral!" Gajeel transformed his legs into a giant drill that rotated at incredibly high speed, giving off the illusion that it wasn't even spinning, then descended towards the rapidly approaching Natsu Dragneel.

As the two Dragon Slayers made contact, Gray - still unaware of his half naked state - widened his eyes and tackled Lisanna, whose face flushed bright red, and Happy to the floor, then held out an arm, "Ice Make: Shield!"

A visible and fast-moving shockwave tore through Gray's shield as the two magic attacks hit each, followed by a gargantuan explosion which nearly deafened the prone trio and obliterated most of the surrounding trees.

The incredibly flashy spectacle ended just as quickly as it started, leaving behind the groaning of collapsing trees that managed to survive the combined result of two Secret Art magical attacks.

Happy wiggled out from underneath Gray and went back to hovering in mid-air, "Natsu?"

Gray looked around at the destruction around them, sighing as another damaged tree fell to the floor and rubbed his ears, "I swear, if I get blamed for these damages, I've shoving an icicle up your ass, Natsu."

Lisanna strained her ears, trying to listen out for either mage, then covered her mouth in shock, "I don't want to believe it, but I think they're still fighting.

"Bullshit." Gray deadpanned, trying to peer through the mass of dust and smoke in front of them, although he wouldn't put it past Natsu to continue fighting after having used his finisher.

A light breeze picked up and dispersed the offending mass, and lo and behold, the two Dragon Slayers were still fighting each other, but didn't seem so energetic as before, and Gajeel's top-half was now free of any clothing and Natsu still retained his scarf.

Furthermore, Natsu's skin was marred with many cuts and was starting to develop a variety of bruises and Gajeel - who'd been stripped of his protective Iron Dragon's Scales - was littered was painful looking first-degree burns.

With tired and pained smirks on their faces, they lunged at one another.

Gray shook his head as the raven-haired teen rugby tackled Natsu to the ground, "Unbelievable. They're actually still fighting, even after all of that. Oh man, suddenly I feel the need to work on my stamina."

"Come here, you little bastard. Iron Dragon's Club." Gajeel transmutated his arm and sluggishly swung it at Natsu who raised his arms to block it.

"In your dreams! Fire Dragon's Claw!" Pushing the offending club aside, Natsu set his leg ablaze and booted the fourteen year old in the chest, nearly knocking him on his backside.

"I said I'm taking you down! Iron Dragon's Hard Fist." Gajeel growled, throwing a hefty punch at Natsu's face, aiming to at least break his nose and/or give him some form of concussion if he didn't knock him entirely unconscious.

His fist didn't even get anywhere close to reaching Natsu's face, largely due to outside interference.

"What y'all up to? I'm about ta shut. This. Shit. Down. Bombs away!" A red sphere of volatile energy shot past Gray's head and stopped between Gajeel and Natsu, then harshly exploded, knocking them away from each other.

They came to sudden stops against whatever remained of the destroyed trees.

Still laying down, Lisanna, Happy and Gray turned to see who spoke and interrupted the fight between the two Dragon Slayers.

Happy gasped, "A cowboy... or at least he looks and speaks like one."

The man who interrupted the fight was a muscular man with greenish-blue eyes and long white hair that was held together in a ponytail. He wore a tight light blue shirt adorning the Magic Council logo on his left side, as well as tiny gray suspenders worn underneath his shirt, a military coat with the Magic Council logo on both arms that was being worn like a cape, white baggy trousers, dark grey boots with black tips, white gloves and a white and gold trucker hat with the Council logo on its front.

"A cowboy? You on somethin', Little Guy?" The man raised an eyebrow.

"Uh..."

Lisanna widened her eyes and leapt to her feet, "Oh my goodness, Captain of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit, Tyson-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... Stop right there at 'Captain', it's _Head Chief,_ Tyson Hammer." The newly introduced Tyson exclaimed, giving her a thumbs up.

"Head Chief? Who the hell is this guy, what's the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit and why does he sound like a redneck?" Gray asked, standing up and crossing his arms.

"Yeeeeaaaahhhh, I'll just casually ignore the fact that you called me a redneck. Heck, I'm always being called the Rune Knight Redneck, so it doesn't really matter. And by the way, I think you left some of your clothes behind." Tyson said, grinning as he tossed Gray his shirt.

"Wait what, when did I discard... I mean, strip it off?"

Happy coughed innocently, prompting Lisanna to give him a look of slight disapproval.

At Gray's suspicious glare, he held his paws to his mouth, "It was the dust. Tickling the back of my throat. Your mysterious lack of clothing had nothing to do with me."

Tyson snickered and sniffed the air, "You were unaware of yourself stripping? Do you smell it? Do you know what I smell, son? Bullshit."

"Aye." Happy said as Lisanna covered the flying cat's ears.

Gray's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but didn't respond. His stripping habit wasn't his fault, he just _inherited_ it from the deceased mentor and mother figure. Frankly, he'd always wondered how people reacted to Ur's sudden stripping.

People - as expected - had different reactions to males and females stripping. He wouldn't be surprised if his mother figure got ogled a lot by thirsty idiots who got their genitals frozen in response.

The mere thought caused Gray to shudder. Ur was a nice, understanding woman, but she didn't put up with anyone's bullshit and her disciplinary methods would make Erza blush.

"Um, are they alright?" Lisanna asked, gesturing towards Natsu and Gajeel, both of whom had yet to stir after having their fight interrupted by the Rune Knight Captain.

"Ah, I dunno, I think they might be dead. Shit, I'll probably get demoted if that's the case."

Gajeel jerked awake and leapt to his feet, "Fuck off, I ain't dead. What do I look like to you, some skinny-ass bitch who's gone without food for about two weeks."

Natsu also jerked awake, "Hey, you interrupted my fight! Bastard, fight me!"

Unfortunately, his short 'nap' had done no wonders to his drained magical reserves and stamina. One palm strike to the chest had Natsu down on his backside again.

Tyson's facial features hardened, but there was no anger in his eyes, "Please don't try that again."

Lisanna hurried over to Natsu's side, "He's a Rune Knight Captain, Natsu. You shouldn't be trying to start fights with people like him. And I think we should go back to the guild. Natsu's spent, and probably really, really hungry. The job can be completed later today or even tomorrow."

"Aye, I could do with some food right now. Meat, lots and lots of meat!" Natsu exclaimed, pain forgotten as he abruptly set his mouth on fire.

"And Fish! Lots and lots of fish!"

Tyson glanced at Gray, "Yo buddy, your friend has a few screws loose in his head."

The raven-haired Fairy mage scoffed, "Tell me about it. I've had to deal with his idiocy for the past two years. I wake up everyday wanting to drive my head through the nearest wall, knowing that I'll have to deal with his antics first thing in the morning."

Gajeel smirked, "I pity ya. Gihihihihihi."

"Oh please, I doubt there aren't any screwed up weirdos in Phantom Lord. From what Master Makarov tells me, your master is a bit crazy." Gray retorted.

The Iron Dragon Slayer guffawed at the description. A 'bit crazy' was a massive understatement, but he wasn't going to say it.

"Hey! What are you saying about me, Snowman? Metalhead? Come and say it to my face."

"And what if I do happen to say it to your face? What are you gonna do?" Gajeel snarled in response.

Tyson snickered, prompting Gray to give him a pointed look, "I _said_ that you're an absolute pain in the ass. Now, come on, let's go back home and you can get something to eat, even though Hargeon Town is _right there_."

"Better fish at Fairy Tail!" Happy cheered.

"What Happy said. But in my case, it's meat!" Natsu added, the exertion of his remaining magic making everybody else uncomfortably hot. Everyone except Happy, who remained totally oblivious.

"Hey, hey, not so fast. Don't forget about the damage you've caused. I'm gonna have to report both Dragon Slayers to the Magic Council, plus, the damage costs will come right out of Fairy Tail's and Phantom Lord's accounts." Tyson added before Natsu could run off.

"Aw, that sucks." Natsu grumbled, mostly to himself.

"Yeah, whatever, Master Jose won't even notice the miniscule decline in the amount of money Phantom Lord has." Gajeel said, dismissing the issue with a nonchalant shrug.

Gray scoffed, "Yeah, well, that's what happens when you fight nearly everybody you encounter. You better get yourself ready for an ass-whooping, delivered personally by non other than Erza Scarlet."

The Fire Dragon Slayer paled, phantom pain shooting through his body.

"Erza Scarlet, huh. She's the Requip redhead with the alias: Erza the Titania. I've met her once before. I'd say she's got the right attitude to become a Rune Knight Captain." Tyson mused, prompting Natsu to explode - literally and figuratively.

"NO! You can't take Erza. Even if she is really scary."

Gray deadpanned, "He never said anything about taking Erza. He just gave her a compliment, saying she'd be a good Rune Knight."

"Exactly, Mr Stripper. Now then, what happened to that lady over there? She looks like shit." Tyson inquired, gesturing towards the unconscious woman who'd been lain against a tree.

Gajeel looked over, thankful for the reminder. In the excitement that arose from his fight with Natsu, he'd completely forgotten about his teammate. He huffed, walking over to her and slung her unconscious form over her shoulder.

"This idiot woman is my teammate. _Lorraine_ , that's her name in case you didn't get the hint, is like this because she thought she was a Mary-Sue who could take on a notorious murderer and S-Class Dark Mage."

"I don't know what a Mary-Sue is, but she's definitely a suicidal idiot for doing that." Tyson deadpanned.

Lorraine began to stir, almost as if the change of conversation topic was waking her up.

Gajeel scowled, "Do you any of you have a bottle of water and fast-acting sleeping pills?"

Gray tossed him a bottle of water, while Tyson handed him a small white pill - confusion written all over their faces.

"Nrgh... Ahh... Fuck... oh man, can't believe I tried to fight that lunatic all by myself." Lorraine groaned, rubbing her eyes with hands that were caked in dried blood.

Lisanna visibly cringed. If it wasn't hers, and even if it was, it could lead to all sorts of eye infections.

Gray averted his eyes, noticing that Lorraine's shredded clothes weren't doing any favours to her barely hidden upper body and breasts, _'Think about Ur, think about Ur, think about Ur...'_

Gajeel growled, "Yeah, tell me about it, Dumbass. Here, take this pill, it'll help you feel better."

Taking the pill and water bottle, Lorraine took some time to wash off her hands and then took the pill. Then, she clapped her wet hands onto Gajeel's cheeks with a tired, shit-eating grin on her face.

"I honesty expected you to be dragging me instead of carrying me when I woke up. I mean, no offence, but-"

" _None taken."_ Gajeel hissed, having flinched in surprise when Lorraine clapped his cheeks.

"Also, what happened to your clothes? Why are you have half-naked?" She asked, sounding a little accusatory.

"Hey, hey, I don't know where your mind is going. I fought this asshole and my shirt got destroyed in the process." Gajeel stated, pointing at Natsu.

"Hey, I'm Natsu Dragneel. What's you're name?" Natsu asked.

Gray's right eye twitched, "Please tell me that insult didn't just go over his head. It did, didn't it? Shit, where can I learn this witchcraft?"

"From lots and lots of fish consumption." Happy helpfully supplied.

"Dragneel? That's a pretty rad nickname. My name's-" The sleeping pill supplied by Tyson kicked in and Lorraine's head dropped. She was out like a light.

"Oh, if I may add, she'll probably be out for more than 36 hours. That pill was infused with Sleep and Dream Magic." Tyson added, his face flushing. Clearly, such a mishap was embarrassing for him.

"Too bad, and now I don't have to put up with her bullshit on my way back to Oak Town." Gajeel said, sounding somewhat triumphant, causing Natsu's face to fall.

"Awwwwww, I didn't get her name." The pinkette complained.

"Lorraine Xanthine." Gajeel added with a dismissive wave of his hand, ignoring the way Natsu's face lit up like an over-decorated christmas tree - literally.

"Lorraine Xanthine, Lorraine Xanthine... Alright, I'm fighting her if we ever meet."

Tyson sweatdropped, _'Man, this kid has some next level issues. All he thinks about is eating meat - probably copious amounts that can't be healthy for anyone with a normal stomach - and fighting people he doesn't even know.'_

"Anywho, my work here is done. Don't be causing anymore trouble now, y'all hear?" Without waiting for a response, Tyson threw them a departing salute and left the open clearing.

Gray crossed his arms, "I guess that's our cue to leave."

Gajeel clicked his tongue, "Hold on. Oi you, Salamander, that was one heck of a fight you gave me back there."

The Iron Dragon Slayer may be immensely prideful, but he acknowledged when others were significantly stronger than him and he definitely appreciated a good fight, something he believed Natsu had given him.

"Heh, right back at ya." Natsu replied, a smirk stretching across his lips.

"Say, do you know how to use a Communications Lacrima Crystal?"

"A what?" Natsu's face was blank, probably even more so than an untouched piece of A3 paper.

Gray scoffed, "The idiot doesn't even know how to operate a microwave without blowing up his room. A Communications Lacrima Crystal is so far beyond his comprehension."

"Shut up, Icicle!" Natsu snapped back.

"Make me, Flame Brain!"

"I will, Snow Cone!"

"Oh yeah-"

"Oi, SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LISTEN!" Gajeel bellowed, "I'm sure Fairy Tail probably has some. Get some of your friends to teach you how to operate one."

Natsu nodded and turned to Lisanna, "What's a-a... whatever he said and how do I use one?"

"Okay, a lacrima is a magical crystalline substance which can be powered up with magic for various purposes; plus, they're usually molded into the shape of a sphere. For a Communications Lacrima Crystal, you pour some magic into it and state the name of the person on the other end." Lisanna answered.

"Aye." Happy added.

"I don't think magical transference is a skill that Natsu's acquired. Erza or Mirajane could probably teach him." Gray commented, pleasantly surprised when Natsu didn't verbally attack him for the statement.

The pinkette probably didn't know that magical transference was even a thing.

"Right... do you have one of those crystal thingys?" Natsu asked, getting a nod from Gajeel.

"Um, if I may ask, why do you want Natsu to learn how to use a Communications Lacrima Crystal?" Lisanna inquired, genuinely curious.

"Tch, I wanna fight the bastard again. I'll admit, he's strong. And I guess there could be enough space in the sky for at least two dragons. Learn to use that shit, Salamander, then we'll have more fights." Gajeel ordered.

He'd walked over to Natsu, holding out a closed fist.

The Fire Dragon Slayer returned the gesture, fistbumping the Phantom Lord mage, "Hell yeah, I'm definitely gonna learn how to use one of those."

"This can't end well." Lisanna squeaked, dismayed at the thought of the two Dragon Slayers meeting up every now and again and throwing down.

Erza would have a hissy fit about the immense environmental damage their fights would cause if she found out. Master Makarov's blood pressure would probably skyrocket.

She wouldn't put it past Natsu to not boast about his new Dragon Slayer friend as soon as they returned to Fairy Tail.

"Gihihihihihihi, see ya around. And you better have gotten stronger the next time we fight, Salamander." Gajeel gave them a mocking salute as he marched off, his teammate hanging limply from on top of his shoulder.

"Heh, right back at ya." Natsu retorted, punching a bruised fist into a opened palm with a loud, fleshy ' _SMACK'_ , ignoring the complaining jolt of pain that shot through the bruised appendage.

Gray furrowed his eyebrows, "Looks like Natsu has a new rival."

"Seems like it. I hope they won't be fighting each other every week. Maybe, I'd say, one fight per month." Lisanna suggested, now holding Happy who didn't want to hover in the air.

"I don't know whether I should feel jealous or relieved. I suppose this means it gives Flame Brain something else to think about." Gray mused, eliciting a giggle from the youngest Strauss sibling.

* * *

 **A/N: I can't believe it took this long for the next chapter. I should be ashamed of myself. Updates may become longer as I'll be starting my apprenticeship next week. Hopefully you'll favourite, follow and review.**


	16. Chapter 16

Geoffrey's Legacy

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail - all rights and stuff belong to Hiro Mashima. If I was the one to start Fairy Tail, fan-service wouldn't be so prominent and there would be side-series' focused on Irene's ascension to a Queen, how the Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Phantom Lord guilds came to be, Makarov's rise to Guild Master and how Gildarts joined Fairy Tail and became Guild Ace. I only own self-made characters, magic and storylines (I don't).**

* * *

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." - Nelson Mandela

* * *

Chapter 16.

(An hour and a half later, at the site of Gajeel's and Erigor's battle)

"So, what happened here? Relay everything back to me."

Amber looked away from the mass of Rune Knights - both from hers and Lahar's units - who were scouring through the building where the Phantom Lord mage had fought Erigor and lost. They were checking for any potential basements.

"Well, as you might've already known, my group and I were already patrolling around these forests - having heard that there were a small group of Rune Knights nearby." She started.

"And this is when you encountered Lorraine Xanthine and Gajeel Redfox, yes?" Lahar inquired, narrowing his eyes at the destruction that surrounded them.

"Yes, I also noted that one of the nearby magical signatures of the dark mages felt like the wind and was bigger than the rest, but not once did I expect it to be Erigor." She replied, a little down about what she considered a mistake.

A mistake that had resulted in two easily avoidable casualties.

"Don't punish yourself. A dark mage like the Death God could've easily been suppressing his magical signature." Lahar said, feeling a little awkward.

Comforting other people wasn't in his set of skills.

"Heh, thanks. After exchanging names and putting Gajeel's teammate in her place, I agreed to allow her to experiment with her Requip. She seemed rather eager and excited about it."

"And I assume you consider allowing her to do so a mistake as well?" Lahar asked, getting a nod from the other Rune Knight Captain.

"Precisely, after allowing her to do what she wished, I assume she didn't know who Erigor was since she didn't signal for aid until he was about to kill her." Amber replied, shaking her head.

Lahar looked slightly confused. It was virtually impossible to not know about someone like the Death God of Eisenwald. You'd have to have literally lived underneath a rock to not know.

"Furthermore, according to Gajeel Redfox, Lorraine possess a form a Take Over, but I don't know any details about it." She continued.

"You don't know about it? Do you mean that she purposefully withheld valuable information?" The bespectacled Rune Knight inquired, his mind conjuring several theories as to why a legal mage would withhold information.

"Gajeel said something about how she wanted to surprise him with its reveal, so that's that I suppose." Amber cut in, knowing what somebody as practical and cynical as Lahar was probably thinking about.

In Lahar's eyes, nobody was good. Even people like the other Rune Knight Captains - Amber included - the Royal Family of Fiore, and all the Guild Masters weren't considered fully trustworthy by him.

Amber wouldn't be surprised if Lahar had some form of contingency plans for every magical individual in the Kingdom of Fiore.

Additionally, none of his colleges knew anything about his private life. About whether he was married or not, hobbies, likes, and where he really lived.

He had about five safehouses that were considered to be 'home', but his colleges only knew about two of them.

Paranoid much, perhaps?

Lahar nodded, finding the explanation acceptable. Although, he'd be considering additional surveillance on the Phantom Lord mage.

"Gajeel and I proceeded to destroy one of the walls after Erigor had incapacitated his teammate. I held back to support him - after extraction Lorraine from the combat area - as he engaged him in combat." Amber continued.

"And your Adaptive Magic Pistols?"

"Their ammunition could break through his defensive technique and force him to physically block them with his scythe. Otherwise, he'd be in a puddle of his own blood at my feet."

"I see. How did your squad end up with two casualties?"

Amber sighed, "Erigor used his Emera Baram technique on Gajeel. The power of the technique killed one of my men who didn't expect such an attack and, as you've already seen, mutilated the other."

"However, the fight happened so quickly that I think a different attack may have taken out one of my mind, and Erigor made a hasty retreat after using the Emera Baram." She continued, prompting a slight furrow of the eyes from Lahar.

"Very well. Irregardless, I apologise for your losses and do you know which direction he fled to?" He questioned, adjusting his glasses when he noticed they were sliding down his nose.

"I believe he fled towards the west. Why? I'm assuming you're planning to set up a 10 kilometre security perimeter around Hargeon Town?"

"Yes, I believe the saying is 'you know me all to well'?" Lahar deadpanned, getting a small giggle from the other Rune Knight.

"Hehe, some phrases are clearly not for you. With such a deadpan expression and flat voice, it comes off as-"

"Hey, what's up y'all? What in high hell happened here?" A new voice interrupted.

Although somewhat displeased at the sudden interruption, Amber allowed herself a smile as Lahar rolled his eyes.

They both turned to the grinning Captain of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit.

"Head Chief."

Lahar scowled, "Captain Tyson."

"Captain Amber, Captain Lahar. And that's _Head Chief_ to you." Tyson declared, getting a disgusted scoff from the bespectacled Rune Knight.

"How unbecoming of a Rune Knight Captain. And I will never, never ever address you by that foolish title." Lahar said, shaking his head in displeasure.

"Heh, I'll hear Head Chief from you one day. Just you watch. Now then, what happened here?"

"Two Phantom Lord mages fought against the notorious Death God of Eisenwald. I aided one of them. The other tried to fight Erigor alone and handily got her ass kicked." Amber explained.

 _'Definitely that unconscious, and now asleep, chick from earlier.'_ Tyson thought.

"And where have you come from. There's no reason for three Rune Knight Captains to be so close together. Unless you intend to make yourself useful, leave." Lahar stated.

"Wow, cold much. Anywho, I thought it'd be worth telling that Natsu and Gajeel fought each other nearby and caused massive environmental damage." Tyson said, grinning when Lahar's back straightened.

"Did you arrest them? That pink-haired brat should be locked up for life for the amount of damage he's caused to public and private locations. Fiore's infrastructure budget keeps having to be increased thanks to him." Lahar hissed, narrowing his eyes as the older man.

"That's not necessary. The costs will come straight out of fines that'll be slapped onto Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord."

"I think that's fair. Life imprisonment should only be reserved for serial killers and serial rapists." Amber commented, getting a resigned grunt from Lahar in response.

If he had his way, Lahar would have mages locked up for at least ten years for even the most minor of incidents, and they'd be the lucky ones.

Before any of the three Rune Knight Captains could say anymore, a young man - belonging to Lahar's division - ran over to them, apprehension visible on his face.

"Sir, we've found traces of magical napalm on one of the men that have been arrested."

Amber widened her eyes in disbelief, _'Lorraine, you idiot, what the heck were you thinking?'_

Tyson whistled, "Oh man, looks like somebody is about to get into some serious trouble."

"Magical napalm? Have you deduced which magical individual it can be traced back to?" Lahar inquired, voice coldly flat as he narrowed his eyes.

The poor boy looked like he wanted to anywhere except for near Lahar. The man could be intimidating, even when not trying to intentionally do so.

"We're working on it, sir. So closest match we've got so far is Lorraine Xanthine." He squeaked.

Amber winced, missing the sharp look that was sent her way by Lahar.

"I see. Take a thirty minute break. You look like you need it." Lahar said icily, prompting the boy to scurry off.

Tyson wasn't smiling anymore, "What are you going to do? The use of napalm, whether it be normal or magical, is a crime."

Lahar adjusted his glasses, "I'll think of something. Phantom Lord needs to be paid a visit."

 _'Ooooh, I don't like the sound of that.'_ Amber thought, watching Lahar as he marched back to his command tent.

"He already needs to lighten up. If he continues like this, he'll have grey hairs by the time he's thirty - possibly even younger." Tyson commented once Lahar was well out of hearing distance.

"I agree. It also might not be good for his long-term health. Even a small laugh would do wonders for him." Amber replied, getting a chuckle from the older Rune Knight.

"Maybe a chuckle would suit him better. I can't see someone like Lahar devolving into outright laughter. That'd be the stuff of nightmares." He replied, eliciting a hearty laugh from the marksman.

"Also, this might be a sudden change of subject, but I think it'd be worth knowing that Dragon Slayers may have a second branch of attacks." Tyson continued.

Amber raised an eyebrow, "Is this going back to the fight you mentioned, between Natsu and Gajeel?"

Tyson nodded, "Yeah, I could've ended the fight since I arrived about halfway through, but I decided to let them slug it out to see what they could do."

"And so you could pull off a sudden and dramatic entrance?"

"Yeah, that too. Near the end of the fight, they called out 'Dragon Slayer's Secret Art' with their respective elements at the beginning. Those attacks looked stronger than anything they'd been dishing out." Tyson clarified, smirking at the gunslinger.

"Huh, that's good to know. I'll be sure to inform Lahar and the Magic Council about this new development." Amber stated, crossing her arms.

"Last thing we need now is lack of preparation for more powerful attacks by Natsu Dragneel. Gajeel too, but he's actually more careful than you'd think he'd be."

* * *

(Oshibana Town, Kingdom of Fiore - Eisenwald Headquarters)

Erigor pushed the doors aside with his scythe, feeling very annoyed. Now, thanks to those useless idiots whom he should've never dealt with, the Rune Knights were most likely on high alert for his movements.

Another setback to obtaining the Lullaby, however minor it may be. Little did the fools know, delays would only prolong the inevitable.

"Mr Erigor, you're back. What happened? You don't look to happy; although, saying that, you never do." A nearby voice said.

The Death God of Eisenwald glared at the annoyance. It was a young man, about sixteen or seventeen years old, of average height - standing at about 5'7ft - with black eyes and black hair which is tied back into a short, spiky ponytail.

He wore a white shirt with a high collar and an intricate symbol on its back over a plain, dark red undershirt. He was also wearing a pair of aquamarine pants, black shoes and small black earrings in each ear.

"I should cut out your tongue for that comment, Kageyama." Erigor stated, blankly staring at the younger dark mage.

"I-I'm sorry. Please don't. I quite enjoy being able to talk." Kageyama said, going pale.

Erigor nodded, "In answer to your question, my business dealings were interrupted by two Phantom Lord mages and a squadron of Rune Knights. However, it matters not. The deaths of the guild masters will come soon enough."

"Are we really going to kill them?"

"Yes, you haven't suffered like other members of this guild have, but you will eventually understand why they must die." Erigor replied, narrowing his eyes at the raven-haired boy.

"It-It's just that I've never seen a dead person before. How will their deaths come about? Will it be bloody?" Kageyama asked innocently, shifting uncomfortable under the piercing gaze of his senior.

Erigor shook his head, "No. In fact, their deaths will be rather peaceful by the will of a magical artefact known as Lullaby. When played, its melodic song will kill all those who hear it except for whoever is using it."

"So... Sound Magic with a lethal edge to it?"

"That's is correct."

"That's pretty cool. Do we know where it is?"

"If I knew where it was, I would've already gotten it." Erigor deadpanned.

Kageyama blushed, "Right, that makes sense."

Erigor continued, ignoring Kageyama's embarrassment, "However, in the event that Lullaby is destroyed, Eisenwald has other plan to enact the demise of the guild masters. One is direct assassination."

"And the other?"

"Another magical artefact. This one is also an unknown when it comes to location. Where Lullaby kills through sound and hearing, this other artefact is stated to kill through light and sight." Erigor said ominously.

"Oh, and what's the name of this artefact?" The raven-haired dark mage asked.

"The Bright, and it supposedly looks like a hideously deformed, demonic torch. You know what is torch is, correct?"

"Yes."

Erigor raised a non-existent eyebrow and Kageyama felt a feeling of dread wash over him.

"Yes, Master Erigor. And how will this 'Bright' potentially play a part in assassinating the guild masters?" He asked.

Erigor nearly rolled his eyebrows, _'Tch, so many questions is forcing me to do so much talking.'_

"When first activated, the Bright will flicker in a hypnotic sequence which will project its dark magic into the target, locking them into a paralysed state. They'll be unable to move for several minutes, not even able to blink." The veteran assassin answered.

"But just stopping them from moving for a few minutes won't be enou-"

"I wasn't finished." Erigor's voice had a dangerous edge to it, one that said ' _I dare you to cut me off again. Watch what'll happen to you.'_

Kageyama wisely shut his mouth and waited.

The scythe wielder continued, "After the targets are paralysed, there'll be a second sequence that'll cause a set of seizures that'll leave them vulnerable to the dark magic that's already in their head. That magic will then slowly stop all electrical activity in the brain, eventually killing them."

Kageyama widened his eyes, "That sounds terrifying, and I assume the rules that apply to Lullaby also apply to this? Whoever is in possession of the artefact and uses it will remain unaffected."

Erigor shrugged, "I doubt that. The light isn't being emanated omnidirectionally by a crystal ball, but by a demonic-like torch pointing in one direction."

"Oh, that makes sense, I didn't think about that."

"It matters not. Now, come with me. We're going to harness your physical skills and capability for Shadow Magic and Dispel until I determine that you're good enough to be sent on a solo assassination."

Kageyama followed after Erigor, "Yes, Master Erigor."

* * *

(Fairy Tail Guild, Magnolia Town, Kingdom of Fiore - Sometime after Natsu's fight will Gajeel)

Makarov sighed as a refreshing, cold beer slid down his throat. He gestured to the bartender to get him another drink after setting down his empty mug.

"Master, I'm surprised you haven't gone past two beers yet. Don't tell me you're becoming a lightweight." A slightly slurred voice next to him grumbled.

"Nonsense, Cana, I could drink you under the table any day of the week." The eighty-three year old shot back, a small smile pulling at his lips.

Cana was a slim girl of average height - at least for a thirteen year old - with large brown eyes and long eyelashes, slightly tanned skin and long, mid-back length brown hair. She had a figure that was lean and coming along nicely, and a bust that would attract any male's attention when she was older.

At the moment, not so much.

She also wore an orange plaid dress, alongside a shoulder bag, with a plain brown strap passing over her left shoulder and diagonally crossing her chest, which is covered and completely obscured by a mass of very long and massive feathers, which are lavender in colour.

She was also the daughter of Fairy Tail's Guild Ace.

Makarov knew, but her father himself didn't know, and he promised to let Cana tell the man when she was ready. The brunette had tried a few times before, but kept getting interrupted before she could say anything.

"I don't think so." Cana replied, walking into the room behind the bar - completely ignoring the complaints of the bartender as she did so.

The old man nearly choked on his spit when he saw Cana emerge with a barrel of alcohol. The bartender just sputtered indignantly, unable to find her words.

 _'Oh goodness, my liver wouldn't be able to take that much alcohol. Not anymore.'_ Makarov thought, watching as she opened the top of the barrel and began chugging down its contents.

"U-Um, you better be ready to pay for that." The bartender stammered.

"Mm-Hmm." Cana waved her off, aware as to how everyone was staring at her in shock.

Heck, even Makarov's grandson looked intrigued and slightly disgusted. And there weren't many things which could intrigue the tall blonde.

Upon finishing the barrel, Cana dropped it onto the floor next to her and let out an earth-shattering burp. She giggled and covered her mouth with one hand, "Oops, pardon me."

Reaching into her shoulder bag, she withdrew about 17000 jewels and set it onto the bar counter. Then, the brunette got off her stool and walked, with an occasional drunken sway, over to the job board.

Several guild members looked like they were ready to help in case she did drop.

Makarov was surprised over the fact that she was still awake, much less even able to stand up and walk around.

The girl was more resilient than she looked, and that was saying something considering the nature of her magic, one that didn't require her to get physical with her opponent.

 _'Eh, perhaps she has a workout routine. Or Erza set one for her.'_ He thought, wondering what Cana, or even Erza, would consider sufficient and satisfactory exercise.

The girl may appear to be extremely laid-back, an image that wasn't helped by her drinking habits, but she was desperate to become S-Class - partially so her father could acknowledge her.

His attention was yanked away from Cana as the front doors of his guild were loudly kicked opened, followed by a loud voice.

"AAAAHHHHHH, I'M HUNGR- LAXUS, FIGHT ME!"

"Flame Brain, you idiot. You're nearly out of magic power! How do you expect to put up any kind of fight?"

What followed was the air suddenly smelling of ozone, a bright flash and a sharp, electrical ' _CRACK'_ , followed by surprised yelling and one groaning, smoking Natsu Dragneel.

Gray had managed to avoid the same fate by letting go of the Fire Dragon Slayer as Laxus - clearly not interested in dealing with the pinkette any longer than he had to - blasted him into the ground without a second thought.

"Become an S-Class Mage, brat, then think about challenging me. Right now, you're nowhere near my level." Laxus scoffed, retreating to the upper floor where only S-Class Mages were allowed to go.

Leaping off the stool which was slightly more than twice his height, Makarov headed over to Lisanna, Happy, Gray, and Natsu.

A fresh fish - courtesy of the bartender - sailed past his head, straight into the paws of an eager Happy.

"Yay, fish!" Happy cheered, devouring his meal in the span of a few seconds.

With Gray's help, Makarov heaved Natsu onto one of the benches and into a sitting position, righting him every time he slouched until he regained enough strength to support himself on his own.

"Given Natsu's lack of magic power, something that I can normally single out from miles away, I assume he got into a fight with something strong and ridiculously resilient?" Makarov asked.

Gray's nodded, "Yeah, the guy was an absolute beast. Uhhhh, Lisanna, what was his name again?"

"Gajeel Redfox of the Black Steel. He was from Phantom Lord, an Iron Dragon Slayer, and his fighting style is almost as ferocious as Natsu's, but slightly more refined." She said, sounding somewhat awed.

Makarov chuckled, "Ah, I see you finally met Mr. Redfox. He's something else, eh?"

Lisanna squeaked, eyes widening in surprise, "Master? You know Gajeel?"

"Aye, I do. I've met him a few times, or maybe it was twice. I definitely remember the first time I met him. This was a couple of days after I met and introduced Natsu to Fairy Tail." Makarov commented.

"Awwwwww, and you didn't tell me about him?" Natsu pouted, burning a whole chicken set in front of him by the bartender.

"No, at the time, he never said anything about being a Dragon Slayer. I don't think he expected anybody to take him seriously, much less a 'short, geriatric, balding old man'."

"He called you that? I'll go and fight him, right after this meal?" Natsu exclaimed, digging into the chicken - sending pieces everywhere.

Gray nudged him, "Ignore the idiot. He's just pissy over the fact that he tied with another Dragon Slayer. When was the second encounter?"

"It was in X778. I met him after a guild master meeting. He told me a bit about Phantom Lord, like how he was coping and how many jobs he'd completed since he joined." Makarov answered.

"Still, why didn't you tell me about him? Another Dragon Slayer." Natsu whined, sounding like a petulant child.

"I think he lllllllliiiiiiiikes him." Happy suggested, getting a giggle out of Lisanna and a chuckle out of Gray.

Makarov also noticed that Laxus hadn't moved from his position from the railing of the upper floor.

Usually, his grandson would move away and listen to his music. He'd have never guessed that news of a second Dragon Slayer would capture his attention.

Or perhaps Laxus had already encountered Gajeel, when he levelled the subdivision in Magnolia Town, and just wanted confirmation from his mouth.

 _'What are you thinking about, Laxus?'_

Natsu yelped, "Hey!? I don't like him, I just wanna know why the old man wouldn't tell me about another Dragon Slayer."

"But the fact that you want to know about him, means that you're starting to lllllllliiiiiiiike him, right?"

Lisanna stepped in, "Being curious about someone doesn't necessarily mean you like them. It'd be like saying someone likes an object just because they're curious about it."

"Eh, I didn't get any of that, but I'll definitely take more fish!"

Another fish sailed past his head, right into Happy's waiting, outstretched - with an amazing reach of about four inches - paws.

Makarov cleared his throat, gaining their attention, "I didn't tell you about Gajeel, because I thought it'd be hilarious if you met each other without forewarning. And knowing your personalities, I guessed you'd likely fight each other."

Gray furrowed his eyebrows, "So, in other words, you pulled off a prank?"

"Eh, pretty much."

"I didn't think you'd be the sort to prank someone, Master." Lisanna said, so softly that the eighty-three year old nearly missed her speak.

"Hehe, there's quite a lot of things you don't know about me, my dear." Makarov replied, giving her a cheeky wink.

 _'Yeah, no shit, like the fact that you excommunicated my father for no reason.'_ Laxus thought bitterly, unbeknownst to the elder Dreyar.

Then, a panting Fairy Tail mage burst through the doors, his clothes soaked in sweat. He cried, "Mirajane and Erza are back!"

Nearly everybody froze. A pin could've been heard it if were dropped at that moment.

Seconds later, everybody shifted in action - cleaning up food spillages, waking up anyone who'd been unconscious for the past few minutes, and making sure everything was set in a tidy and orderly manner.

On the second floor, Laxus just scoffed with disdain and contempt.

Gray was struggling to hold back an eager Natsu, stopping him from attacking the arrogant lightning user or flying out of the front doors to start a fight with either of the approaching mages.

A few moments later, the Mirajane Strauss and a redhead of equal height entered the guild, the latter dropping a monster's head onto the floor once the doors swung closed.

"Erza, Mirajane, my dear children, how did your mission go?" Makarov asked, although he already knew the answer.

"The monster was disposed of with minimal collateral damage, Master Makarov. Mirajane and I received the pay as stated in the job description." The redhead answered.

She sounded way too serious for someone who was only fourteen years old. You'd have thought she'd rehearsed the answer about several thousand times.

"Hey, idiot, don't forget about the new, custom armour you obtained from your favourite supplier. You were pretty excited about it. Aren't you going to show it to everyone?" Mirajane prodded, rolling her eyes.

Erza sent the eldest Strauss a sharp glare, putting many on edge, but Mirajane didn't relent until Makarov cleared his throat.

"I apologise for my foolish behaviour. Master, you may strike me later. Now - Requip: Black Wing Armour!" Erza called, channeling her magic power.

Everyone watched, transfixed, as the redhead's outfit - a normal looking set of sliver armour with the Fairy Tail symbol on the breastplate - flashed and changed before their very eyes.

She was now adorned in an armor which was black in color and sporting some silver trimmings. It also possessed a pair of wings which emerged from the back, reminiscent of those belonging to a dragon - each claiming a sizeable wingspan, almost as long as Erza was tall.

Around her neck was a neck guard decorated by several gems, and her scarlet hair has been tied up in a high ponytail, with two bangs framing her face.

Large shoulderpads, each composed of two silver-edged plates - one over the other - sported silver crosses on them and flank the high collar.

The silver-edged breastplate revealed a fair amount of Erza's cleavage and belly, with plates flanking her hips and reaching down to her very large waistguard, composed of very long, silver-edged plates that were decorated by crosses.

The waistguard left the front of Erza's body exposed, with her groin being covered by a dark indument. The black gauntlets - equipped with prominent protection for her hands - sported intricate silver patterns.

The plates guarding her legs are also sliver-edged on her thighs and knees, but incredibly dark on the metal greaves.

Several mages cheered at the sight, less so because the armour looked cool and more so because of how much flesh it showed.

Mirajane scoffed, "Still not as cool as my Satan Soul."

Erza glowered back in response, but Makarov spoke before she could say anything, "Ah, speaking of your Satan Soul, Mira. Gray, Natsu, and Lisanna met a certain someone. You've met them recently."

Now that she was the centre of attention, Lisanna blushed under their combined gazes. She was confident enough to meet the eyes of other people, but would rather not have everyone staring at her.

At least, she didn't have the nearly crippling shyness of her older brother.

Gray took over before she caved in, "Yeah, uh, we met Gajeel Redfox of Phantom Lord. Do you know him?"

"Yeah, I know him. When I met him isn't any of your business. All you need to know is that I knocked him on his ass." Mirajane replied, puffing out her chest.

Given her tight, gothic attire, it looked rather flat at the moment.

"Tch, I fought him to a tie." Natsu grumbled.

"Too bad. At least you'll know that you'll have to surpass him before you can be on the level on Erza and I." The oldest Strauss said, tilting her head slightly.

"Who cares about that!? ERZA, FIGHT ME!"

Makarov facepalmed, _'Oh, Natsu, you'll never learn.'_

Mirajane laughed, _'He didn't even listen. Oh well, good luck with that.'_

Laxus snorted in amusement, _'Stupid brat.'_

Gray rolled his eyes, _'How did that idiot end up being my best friend and rival?'_

Cana went to get another barrel of alcohol, _'Better not disturb me and my new hobby.'_

Lisanna giggled nervously.

Happy continued his obliviously innocent existence.

Following the resounding connection of metal against bare flesh, Natsu flew across the guild with a bruised growing on his face, slipping into the blissful realm of unconsciousness before he'd even landed.

* * *

(Phantom Lord subdivision, Oak Town, Kingdom of Fiore)

Gajeel narrowed his red eyes as he stormed into Phantom Lord, shoving aside a mage who happened to be standing in his way.

Several heads snapped over to him, many gaining curious looks when they noticed that he was also carrying someone.

Boze, Sue, and Emilia quickly hurried over.

"Whoa, what the hell happened to her?" Sue asked, her eyes running all over Lorraine's form.

"She tried fighting someone and lost." Gajeel answered, storming past them towards the female rooms.

The trio followed after him.

"Who did she fight? A mere bandit couldn't have done this to her." Emilia said, her voice full of worry and concern.

"An assassin named Erigor. You might know him better as the Death God of Eisenwald." Gajeel replied, passing a female mage who happened to open the side door as he approached.

"Lorraine tried to fight- Wait, how is she not dead. Isn't that dude known for killing all of his enemies?" Boze inquired, crossing his arms.

"Must've been in a good mood." Sue joked, but it fell flat with the tense atmosphere.

Gajeel shot her a glare as they stood out of Lorraine's room, "Could you not? Someone under my charge nearly died. I'd rather not have that hanging over my head."

"Looks more like he was just toying with her." Emilia commented, withdrawing a set of master keys and opening the door of Lorraine's room.

"Hn, it's might've been that. Where's Totomaru?"

"He's out on a job. Why?" The medic inquired, withdrawing a medkit after putting the keys away.

"Tch, no reason. Do you guys know about some punk whose name is Natsu Dragneel?"

Boze raised an eyebrow, "Natsu the Salamander, the Fairy Tail mage? Yeah, almost everyone knows about him - the Fire Dragon Slayer. Let me guess, you fought him?"

Gajeel smirked as he lay Lorraine on her bed, "That I did. Unfortunately, we fought each other to a tie. But I told him to use a lacrima if he ever wanted a rematch."

Emilia cleared her throat.

Gajeel, Boze, and Sue looked at her. Confusion was all over their faces.

She sighed, "If you don't mind, could you leave the room so I could clean her up?"

They quickly left the room.

"You might want to check up on her for a while. She consumed a magic-infused sleeping pill which should keep her asleep for about 36 hours." Gajeel informed Emilia.

"Please tell me you got it from somewhere legit?"

Gajeel scowled at Phantom Lord's bartender, "Of course, I got it from a freaky Rune Knight who insisted on being called 'Head Chief'."

"Sounds like he's got some issues." Boze sniggered as Gajeel shut the door.

"Gihihihihihihi, that's exactly what I thought."

"Asides from that, are you guys up for drinks? On me." Sue offered as they re-entered the subdivisions main hall.

Gajeel shrugged, "Eh, why not."

Boze nodded, "I won't say no to free drinks."

They stood around the hall's bar, waiting for someone to come and serve them, before remembering that the bartender was with Gajeel's teammate.

All three of them sweatdropped at the awkwardness of the situation, and then Sue hopped over the bar counter.

"What do you guys want?"

"Gin and tonic; ratio of 1:3." Gajeel said, setting down the appropriate amount of jewels.

Boze followed suit, "Guinness Draught."

Sue stashed the jewels away, poured the males their drinks, and then got herself apple cider.

With their drinks acquired, the trio sat at a nearby table and Gajeel was the first to sip his beverage, shuddering as the lightly bitter taste slid down his throat.

"So, what was being so close to Erigor like?" Sue asked, sipping at her cider.

"Ah, beat me to it by a couple of seconds. Surely he didn't back off without a fight? I mean, for a dark mage of his calibre, he's got a reputation to uphold." Boze added.

Gajeel had another sip, "Hn, I actually fought the bastard after he knocked Lorraine's lights out. If it weren't for my Iron Dragon's Scales, I'd look like the meaty mess that is a kebab."

Sue turned green at the unwelcome mental image.

Boze looked a little queasy himself, "Right, you had the magic advantage over him. Wind isn't going anywhere through a metal as tough as iron."

"Gihihihihihihi, are you trying to reassure me or make yourself sound smart?"

Boze was thankful that his dark skin was able to hide his blush.

Sue smirked, "So, do you think that Erigor - Death God; whatever he wants to be called - was holding back?"

"Probably not. There was a squad of Rune Knights with me, including their captain. And we all know that Rune Knight squads can prepare counters to most forms of magic." Gajeel replied, taking another sip.

"Still, it must've been pretty exciting, being that close to a dark mage?" She continued.

The Iron Dragon Slayer smirked, "The adrenaline rush was absolutely insane. Plus, that was the first time I've fought against a dark mage with an S-Class classification."

"Jeez, most of us can only dream of being at a level where an S-Class Mage wouldn't be able to immediately murder us " Boze chuckled, backing half of his glass.

Gajeel frowned, "I wouldn't technically say I was at his level. Most other S-Class Mages could beat me in a straight fight, given enough time. He just couldn't cut through my iron skin."

It damaged his pride to admit such a thing, and Huiqing would eventually knock him down a peg if his ego got too big anyway.

""Hm, that makes sense. What are you going to do while Lorraine is currently inactive?" Sue inquired.

Gajeel shrugged, "Dunno, might just chill here until she wakes up or go out on a solo job."

"I know you said 'go out on a solo job', but mind if we come with you if you do?" Boze asked, glancing at Sue who nodded.

"Tch, suit yourself. Come if you want to." The Iron Dragon Slayer replied.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank goodness it didn't take as long to get this chapter out. The Power of Youth... I mean being motivated when writing helps. See you guys in the next chapter, which includes Balderich vs Ryos, and don't forget to follow, favourite, and review.**


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